Speaker
Description
Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) are ultra sensitive low noise detectors sensitive to single photons. By optimizing the material content of the superconducting thin film, it is possible to reduce the energy detection threshold far into the infrared. Such low threshold detectors are ideally suited for low mass dark matter and axion detection experiments such as the BREAD experiment, where detection sensitivity can be uniquely pushed far below the 1~eV scale. We will describe recent progress in SNSPD sensor R&D enabling detection of photons with wavelengths as large as 29 μm, enabling axion and dark photon detection down to masses as low as 0.04 eV, and next steps to potentially push the detection towards 50μm photons. We will also discuss challenges and potential solutions in deep-IR photon detection readout and antenna-coupled structures to enlarge the active area.
