Direct detection of a single photon by humans

Jonathan N. Tinsley, Maxim I. Molodtsov, Robert Prevedel, David Wartmann, Jofre Espigulé-Pons, Mattias Lauwers and Alipasha Vaziri ()
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Jonathan N. Tinsley: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Maxim I. Molodtsov: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Robert Prevedel: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
David Wartmann: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Jofre Espigulé-Pons: Research Platform Quantum Phenomena & Nanoscale Biological Systems (QuNaBioS), University of Vienna
Mattias Lauwers: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Alipasha Vaziri: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Despite investigations for over 70 years, the absolute limits of human vision have remained unclear. Rod cells respond to individual photons, yet whether a single-photon incident on the eye can be perceived by a human subject has remained a fundamental open question. Here we report that humans can detect a single-photon incident on the cornea with a probability significantly above chance. This was achieved by implementing a combination of a psychophysics procedure with a quantum light source that can generate single-photon states of light. We further discover that the probability of reporting a single photon is modulated by the presence of an earlier photon, suggesting a priming process that temporarily enhances the effective gain of the visual system on the timescale of seconds.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms12172

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12172

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