Thermal detection of single photons using Dirac fermions

Abstract Detecting single photons is a crucial process in quantum science, quantum networking, biology, and advanced imaging. To detect the small quantum of energy carried in a photon, conventional mechanisms rely on energy excitation across either a semiconductor bandgap or superconducting gap that hinders their applications to low-energy photons. Here, we detect single near-infrared photons using the thermal properties of Dirac fermions in graphene. By exploiting the extremely low heat capacity of Dirac electrons near its charge neutrality point, we observe a temperature rise up to ~ 2 K using a hybrid Josephson junction. In this proof-of-principle experiment, we achieve an intrinsic quantum efficiency of 87% (75%) with dark count < 1 per second (per week), reaching an effective noise equivalent power of 2 × 10−22 W/ $$\sqrt{{{{\rm{Hz}}}}}$$ Hz . The highest operation temperature is 1.2 K. Our results highlight the potential of graphene bolometers for detecting lower-energy photons from the mid-IR to microwave regimes, opening pathways to study space science in far-infrared regime, to potential applications in dark matter searches, and to advance quantum technologies across a broader electromagnetic spectrum.