Abstract

Although the limit of detection (LOD) is a widely used means of indicating the detection power of an analytical technique, the application of conventional detection limit theory is not straightforward with respect to laser spectroscopic methods which are capable of detecting single atoms or molecules in the laser beam. In this paper, theoretical considerations in the detection and evaluation of these methods are addressed on the basis of a simple model of a typical laser spectroscopic experiment; in addition, the theoretical requirements for the precise counting of atoms, and factors which influence the signal variance in the model, are considered. Simple Monte Carlo computer simulations are used to verify and demonstrate the application of the theory of single atom detection (SAD) to typical experimental situations.

Efficient ArF laser production and detection of carbon atoms from simple hydrocarbons

Rosario C. Sausa, Angelo J. Alfano, and Andrzej W. Miziolek
Appl. Opt. 26(17) 3588-3593 (1987)

Detection of individual atoms in helium buffer gas and observation of their real-time motion

C. L. Pan, J. V. Prodan, W. M. Fairbank, and C. Y. She
Opt. Lett. 5(11) 459-461 (1980)

Detection efficiency for underwater coaxial photon-counting lidar

Kangjian Hua, Bo Liu, Liang Fang, Huachuang Wang, Zhen Chen, and Yang Yu
Appl. Opt. 59(9) 2797-2809 (2020)

Absorption spectroscopy at the limit: detection of a single atom

D. J. Wineland, Wayne M. Itano, and J. C. Bergquist
Opt. Lett. 12(6) 389-391 (1987)

Computer-based photon-counting lock-in for phase detection at the shot-noise limit

Dieter Braun and Albert Libchaber
Opt. Lett. 27(16) 1418-1420 (2002)