The role of photon statistics in fluorescence lifetime sensing with Hong–Ou–Mandel effect

Abstract

Fluorescence lifetime with Hong–Ou–Mandel sensing (FL-HOM) is a novel technique for measuring sub-picosecond fluorescence lifetimes by interfering a fluorescence photon with a reference laser photon. Here, we show how the approach can be simplified to operate from a single femtosecond laser source using a reference pulse generated from either a supercontinuum or a second fluorescent process. This reduces not only the complexity but also the cost of implementation. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of the photon statistics of these different reference sources on the visibility of FL-HOM measurements. To this end, we consider the bunching probability depending on the “mutual coherence” and g(2)(0) of each source, and provide insights for potential users of single-laser source FL-HOM depending on the specific approach chosen.