Time-resolved imaging of guided wave phenomena

Abstract

In the past decade, increasing demand and rapid developments in classical and quantum sciences resulted in advanced novel multipixel single photon detector arrays engineered on a single electronic chip. Silicon single photon avalanche detector (Si-SPAD) is one of the mainstream solution for low level light detection in visible and near-infrared wavelength region due to the dependable amplification of light signal. This thesis mainly focusses on three key experiments to showcase the potential applications of a single photon detector (Megaframe 32) consists of 32×32 square array Si-SPADs with picosecond timing circuits. With ≈ 50 ps timing resolution, each SPAD can perform time-correlated single photon counting independently. First, the concept of multiplexed single-mode wavelength-to-time mapping (WTM) of multimode light was investigated. The spacetime imaging capability of the Megaframe was then demonstrated by imaging the spatial modes emerging from a few-mode fibre enabling WTM of spatial modes. Finally, timeresolved discrete imaging in laser inscribed photonic lattices was demonstrated. By placing a photonic lattice in a linear cavity and re-injecting the output mode profile back to the lattice, the propagation of light was measured in quasi-real time manner. The experimental demonstrations using Megaframe will find applications in Raman spectroscopy, soliton imaging, quantum optics, and discrete waveguide optics.