The project work is aimed at the research, development, fabrication and demonstration of a highly sensitive electro-optical measurement system (AppQuant) consisting of a universal multi-sensor and multi-channel low noise cooling platform, including control and special stabilization of the target temperature, and a sensor module with micro-integrated superconducting nanowire detectors (SNSPD) with ultra-fast time resolution. The AppQuant measurement system uses a new concept for encoding and converting optical signals and is suitable for use in spectroscopy, quantum optics, quantum cryptography, "light detection and ranging (LIDAR)", "deep space communication" and other fields of application. Since ultra-weak light signals down to single photons play a central role in optical quantum technologies such as quantum cryptography and communication, but also in applications ranging from observational astronomy to microscopy in the life sciences, superconducting detectors such as the specially adapted SNSPDs will be used as examples for the efficiency of the array-enabled modular platform.

The project is funded by AiF Berlin (ZIM) under the number ZF4006821DF9.