Program Listings

Session Chair: John Valentine, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States; Chiara Guazzoni, Politecnico di Milano and INFN, Italy

Since the description of the photoelectric effect by the quantization of the electromagnetic radiation in 1905 by Einstein the hunting season was open for the detection of single photons. One major driver for the research on single photon detectors has been related to the mysteries of quantum mechanics, such as photon entanglement and more generally quantum information science. More generally low light level detection systems are needed in an increasing number of applications and require photodetectors with high gain, low noise, high detection efficiency, good timing properties and in some cases imaging capability. The invention of the photomultiplier tube in 1935 by Iams and Salzberg of RCA was a major breakthrough in photodetection. Although PMTs may be considered by some to be ancient, and despite various application challenges, they are still the preferred devices in many scientific, medical, and industrial applications. On the other hand, the complex integration problems of large experiments in particle physics requiring compact detectors, the interest for lower bias voltage in medical devices and embarked systems, and a strong requirement for detectors immune to high magnetic fields have pushed the R&D for the development of SiPMs, multipixel silicon photodiodes with a large number of micropixels working in Geiger mode on a common substrate and connected to a common load. The relative merits, application domains, and potential for progress of both types of photodetectors will be discussed.