Simulations of photon detection in silicon photomultiplier number-resolving detectors

Number-resolving single-photon detectors are essential for the implementation of numerous innovative quantum information schemes. While several number-discriminating techniques have previously been presented, the silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) detector is a promising candidate owing to its rather simple integration in optical setups. On the other hand, the photon statistics obtained with the SiPM detector suffer from inaccuracies due to inherent distortions which are dependent on the geometrical properties of the SiPM. We simulated the detection process in an SiPM detector and studied these distortions. We used the results of the simulation to interpret the experimental data and to study the limits in which available models prevail.