Integrated 100-pixel photon-number-resolving detector

Photon-number-revolving detectors are the ultimate measurement tool of light. However, few detectors to date can provide high-fidelity photon number resolution at few-photon levels. Here, we demonstrate an on-chip detector that can resolve up to 100 photons by spatiotemporally multiplexing an array of superconducting nanowires along a single optical waveguide. The unparalleled photon number resolution paired with the high-speed response exclusively allows us to unveil the quantum photon statistics of a true thermal light source in an unprecedented level, which is realized by direct measurement of higher-order correlation function g^(N) with N up to 15 and the observation of photon-subtraction-induced photon number enhancement. Our detector provides a viable route towards various important applications, including photonic quantum computation and quantum metrology.