Single-photon time-stretch computational ghost spectroscopy

Time-stretch spectroscopy is powerful for capturing transient spectral phenomena but remains fundamentally limited by detector bandwidth or timing jitter, especially under photon-starved conditions. We devise and implement single-photon time-stretch computational ghost spectroscopy, which integrates dispersive wavelength-to-time mapping with programmable temporal encoding and correlation-based reconstruction to overcome these detection limitations. Specifically, temporally stretched ultrashort pulses are modulated by predefined encoding patterns and detected by a low-bandwidth detector, allowing reconstruction of near-infrared spectra with 450 resolvable channels across 1530 to 1590 nm without direct high-speed waveform acquisition. By further incorporating compressive sensing, accurate spectral recovery is achieved at sub-Nyquist sampling rates, substantially reducing acquisition requirements to facilitate high-speed operation at 210 kHz. In the single-photon regime, computational ghost reconstruction effectively suppresses the intrinsic detector timing jitter, yielding high-fidelity spectra at illumination fluxes down to 0.01 photons/pulse. By jointly enabling broadband coverage, high spectral resolution, high acquisition speed, and single-photon sensitivity, this approach establishes a computation-enhanced paradigm for time-stretch spectroscopy and provides a versatile platform for ultrafast and photon-efficient spectroscopic applications.