Assess the practical value of photon-number-resolving detectors

Determine whether the relative rarity of multiphoton coincidence events makes photon-number-resolving detectors practically valuable for astronomical imaging.

Background

Photon-number-resolving detectors are required to achieve the full super-resolution capability of quantum interferometers in extremely photon-starved regimes. Although technologies such as photon-number-resolving SNSPDs and transition-edge sensors exist, the paper identifies an unresolved question concerning whether the scarcity of multiphoton coincidence events justifies their use in astronomical imaging.

References

It remains to be seen whether the relative rarity of multi-photon coincidence events makes photon number-resolving detectors of practical value in astronomical imaging.

— Progress in quantum telescopes  (2609.18079 - Gozzard et al., 16 Sep 2026) in Section 6.4, “Single photon detectors” → “Counting photons”