Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Interference: Path Lengths

Interference: Path Lengths

Consider two sources of sound, that may or may not be in phase, emitting waves at a single frequency, and consider the frequencies to be the same.
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Association of baseline immune cell composition with CAR-T cell expansion and survival in Relapsed/Refractory large B-Cell lymphoma.

Journal of translational medicine·2026

Same author

Deletion of electron-bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenase enhances H<sub>2</sub>-driven CO<sub>2</sub> fixation and ethanol production in Clostridium ljungdahlii.

Bioresource technology·2026

Same author

Feedback-optimized ghost recognition with human visual perception.

Optics letters·2026

Same author

Bridging optics and machine learning: revisiting correspondence imaging via linear classification.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026

Same author

[One-hole split endoscope-assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases:an early efficacy observation].

Zhongguo gu shang = China journal of orthopaedics and traumatology·2025

Same author

Generalized sparse Hadamard single-pixel Imaging.

Optics express·2025

Same journal

Denoising algorithm of Φ-OTDR systems based on adaptive fractional wavelet transform denoising.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Millisecond photon-to-photon latency and high-speed volumetric projection system for optogenetics.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Polarization-encoded coaxial structured light for high-precision 3D surface profilometry.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Discrete freeform optical design based on collaborative optimization of point cloud and local normals.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Ultrafast ghost imaging with 25 GHz speckle switching and wavelength-division multiplexing.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Atomic vapor cells fabricated by femtosecond laser welding of standard-optical-quality glass.

Optics express·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

Published on: October 23, 2018

The first- and second-order temporal interference between thermal and laser light.

Jianbin Liu, Huaibin Zheng, Hui Chen

|May 14, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

First-order temporal interference is unobservable between independent thermal and laser light beams. However, second-order temporal interference is observable, with findings verified experimentally using pseudothermal light.

More Related Videos

Continuous-wave Thulium Laser for Heating Cultured Cells to Investigate Cellular Thermal Effects

Continuous-wave Thulium Laser for Heating Cultured Cells to Investigate Cellular Thermal Effects

Published on: June 30, 2017

Subsurface Defect Localization by Structured Heating Using Laser Projected Photothermal Thermography

Subsurface Defect Localization by Structured Heating Using Laser Projected Photothermal Thermography

Published on: May 15, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 12, 2026

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

Published on: October 23, 2018

Continuous-wave Thulium Laser for Heating Cultured Cells to Investigate Cellular Thermal Effects

Continuous-wave Thulium Laser for Heating Cultured Cells to Investigate Cellular Thermal Effects

Published on: June 30, 2017

Subsurface Defect Localization by Structured Heating Using Laser Projected Photothermal Thermography

Subsurface Defect Localization by Structured Heating Using Laser Projected Photothermal Thermography

Published on: May 15, 2017

Area of Science:

Quantum optics
Classical optics
Statistical optics

Background:

Temporal interference is a fundamental phenomenon in optics.
Distinguishing interference patterns from thermal and laser light sources is crucial for understanding coherence.
Feynman's path integral theory provides a powerful framework for analyzing quantum phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the feasibility of observing first- and second-order temporal interference between independent thermal and laser light beams.
To analyze the relationship between photon behavior and the indistinguishability of alternatives in interference.
To elucidate the differences in coherence properties between thermal and laser light.

Main Methods:

Application of the superposition principle within Feynman's path integral theory.
Theoretical analysis of first- and second-order temporal interference patterns.
Experimental verification using pseudothermal light to simulate thermal light.

Main Results:

First-order temporal interference patterns cannot be observed when superposing independent thermal and laser light beams.
Second-order temporal interference patterns are observable under the same conditions.
Experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions regarding the observability of interference orders.

Conclusions:

The study clarifies the conditions under which temporal interference can be observed between different light sources.
It highlights the distinct coherence properties of thermal and laser light.
The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of light interference and quantum-classical correspondences.