PCOUNT G

The PCOUNT G is a GATED GHz photon counter that has the ability to count continuously OR select photon count times when the external gate input is positive. The external input gate repetition rate can be above 200 MHz. Photon events are collected into a user-chosen number of bins. The gating is synchronous to the collection clock, so there are never any sliced gates.

The PCOUNT G can have four channels of time-correlated single photon counting OR three channels with 1.6 GHz photon counting and two channels of 800 MHz counting. The gate intervals do NOT have to be the same width throughout a collection cycle. The precise gate width can be monitored in the ungated mode as well as the gated mode on the back of the device.

Each and every gate interval can be individually examined for Time Correlated Photon events in each photon bin. The number of photons can be summed over any part of a gate or all of the gate times. The PCOUNT G can also collect photons in the ungated mode. The gate input level has an adjustable threshold tested to 1.25 ns minimum.

The PCOUNT G hardware begins accepting photons continuously once triggered — subject to software control and/or gating. The trigger can be provided by an external SMA input, a push-button, or software after a manual reset to synchronize channels. Photon counting disk storage begins automatically under software control or with the external trigger.

The PCOUNT G is designed for EDGE detection of photons from the PV16 amplifier discriminator with 150 picosecond minimum photon widths. The back of the PCOUNT G provides + and − input gate echoes, gated high-speed clock output, gated 100 MHz clock, and trigger indication.