Detecting a single photon is a challenge in itself. But what if you also want to know exactly how many photons arrive at a particular point at the same time? Physicist Erik Baalbergen is working on light detectors that can do just that. They form a key building block for the optical quantum computer of the future.

“I always enjoyed the experiments with light the most,” says Baalbergen. “And this project brings together the fields of optics, electronics and solid-state physics. It is precisely that intersection that I find incredibly interesting.” During his Ph.D. research at Leiden University, he worked on the development and improvement of specialized light detectors. He defended his thesis, “Photon-Number Resolution with Superconducting Nanowires,” on November 3.