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Related Experiment Videos

Spatial coherence effects on second- and fourth-order temporal interference.

Timothy Yarnall1, Ayman F Abouraddy, Bahaa E A Saleh

  • 1Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 244 Wood Street, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420-9108, USA.

Optics Express
|June 12, 2008
PubMed
Summary
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We demonstrate how two-photon interference patterns in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer depend on optical path. Removing a mirror extinguished one-photon interference but preserved two-photon interference, revealing insights into quantum correlations.

Area of Science:

  • Quantum Optics
  • Quantum Information Science
  • Nonlinear Optics

Background:

  • Quantum interference phenomena are fundamental to quantum mechanics.
  • Spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) is a key source for entangled photon pairs.
  • Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) are standard tools for observing interference.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the behavior of both one-photon and two-photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
  • To explore the influence of experimental modifications on these interference patterns.
  • To develop a theoretical model explaining the observed phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Generating two-photon light via collinear degenerate optical spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilizing a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) to record second-order (one-photon) and fourth-order (two-photon) interferograms.
  • Modifying the MZI by removing a mirror to assess its impact on interference patterns.

    • Main Results:

    • High-visibility fringes were observed for both second- and fourth-order interferograms in the initial setup.
    • Removing a mirror from the MZI extinguished the second-order interferogram while leaving the fourth-order interferogram unaffected.
    • A theoretical model incorporating temporal and spatial degrees of freedom accurately explained the experimental outcomes.

    Conclusions:

    • The study highlights the distinct behavior of one-photon and two-photon interference under MZI modifications.
    • Temporal interference in the MZI is robust against source spatial coherence.
    • Modified MZI temporal interference is sensitive to source spatial coherence, offering insights into quantum correlations.