A light detection system is provided for association with a light source. The light detection system includes a light detector and circuitry. The light detector includes semiconductor film and phototube devices and is disposed with at least one line-of-sight (LOS) to the light source. The circuitry is coupled to the light detector and the light detector and the circuitry are configured to cooperatively identify a presence and a characteristic of a light emission event at the light source.

An electromagnetic wave detecting apparatus is provided with: a plurality of detecting devices each of which is configured to detect an electromagnetic wave; a voltage applying device configured to apply bias voltage to each of the plurality of detecting devices; an obtaining device configured to obtain a detection signal outputted from each of the plurality of detecting devices; and a setting device configured to set acquisition timing of the detection signal for each of the plurality of detecting devices, on the basis of the bias voltage, which is applied to each of the plurality of detecting devices, and the detection signal of each of the plurality of detecting devices.

An integrated, superconducting imaging sensor may be formed from a single, meandering nanowire. The sensor is capable of single-photon (or single-event) detection and imaging with 10 micron spatial resolution and sub-100-picosecond temporal resolution. The sensor may be readily scaled to large areas.

An optical power monitoring device that monitors power of input light reflected back into an optical fiber among output light output from the optical fiber, the optical power monitoring device includes: a photodetector disposed by the optical fiber that detects Rayleigh scattered light generated by the input light and the output light that are guided by the optical fiber; and a calculator that performs a calculation to exclude a component that corresponds to an output of the output light detected by the photodetector using first information that indicates a relationship between an output of the output light obtained in advance under a condition where the output light is not reflected and the output of the output light detected by the photodetector.

A semiconductor device including photosensor capable of imaging with high resolution is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes the photosensor having a photodiode, a first transistor, and a second transistor. The photodiode generates an electric signal in accordance with the intensity of light. The first transistor stores charge in a gate thereof and converts the stored charge into an output signal. The second transistor transfers the electric signal generated by the photodiode to the gate of the first transistor and holds the charge stored in the gate of the first transistor. The first transistor has a back gate and the threshold voltage thereof is changed by changing the potential of the back gate.

A summation circuit (1) for summing one or more signals received from a photomultiplier array is proposed. The summation circuit comprises one or more readout circuits (5) coupleable to one or more photodiodes of the photomultiplier array (2), respectively, and a channel summing module (50), coupled at one or more outputs of the one or more readout circuits, respectively, to sum the one or more signals provided by the one or more readout circuits. The one or more readout circuits are coupleable to the photodiode of the photomultiplier array. Each readout circuit (5) comprises one or more coefficient controllers (C1, C2) for controlling multiplying coefficients of the received signal. The coefficient controllers may be placed at the input and/or at the output of the readout circuits (5).

Provided are a photon detection device and a photon detection method being practical, capable of performing photon detection in which no afterpulse is generated and generation of a dark count is suppressed, and capable of obtaining a high counting rate with low jitter. The photon detection device of the present invention includes: a photon detection section having a long plate-shaped superconducting stripline whose plate surface is a photon detection surface, and a bias current supply section supplying a bias current to the superconducting stripline; and a single flux quantum comparator circuit capable of detecting magnetic flux scattered from the superconducting stripline upon photon detection.

An electronic device includes a first superconducting wire (with a first end and a second end) having a first threshold superconducting current. The device includes a second superconducting wire (with a first end and a second end) having a second threshold superconducting current that is less than the first threshold superconducting current. The second end of the first superconducting wire and the second end of the second superconducting wire are coupled to a common voltage node. A resistor is coupled between the first superconducting wire and the second superconducting wire, with a first end of the resistor coupled to the first end of the first superconducting wire and a second end of the resistor coupled to the first end of the second superconducting wire. The device includes a current source coupled with the first superconducting wire, and coupled with a combination of the resistor and the second superconducting wire.

A semiconductor device including photosensor capable of imaging with high resolution is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes the photosensor having a photodiode, a first transistor, and a second transistor. The photodiode generates an electric signal in accordance with the intensity of light. The first transistor stores charge in a gate thereof and converts the stored charge into an output signal. The second transistor transfers the electric signal generated by the photodiode to the gate of the first transistor and holds the charge stored in the gate of the first transistor. The first transistor has a back gate and the threshold voltage thereof is changed by changing the potential of the back gate.

According to one embodiment, a superconducting element used as a pixel for detecting a particle is disclosed. The superconducting element includes at least one superconducting strip. The at least one superconducting strip includes a superconducting portion extending in a first direction, including first and second ends and made of a first superconducting material, a first conductive portion connected to the first end of the superconducting portion, and a second conductive portion connected to the second end of the superconducting portion. A superconducting region of the superconducting portion is configured to be dived when the particle is made incident on the superconducting portion along the first direction via the first conductive portion.