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Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect without two-photon interference in photon counting regime.
Bin Bai1, Yu Zhou2, Ruifeng Liu3
1Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education & International Center for Dielectric Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
Scientific Reports
|May 21, 2017
Summary
The Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect, typically requiring two-photon interference, was observed in an experiment designed to prevent it. This finding challenges conventional understanding and is explained by quantum optical coherence theory.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Quantum interference
Background:
- The Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect is fundamentally linked to two-photon interference in quantum optics.
- Conventional understanding posits that the absence of two-photon interference precludes the observation of the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect under conditions where two-photon interference is impossible.
- To explore the applicability of Glauber's quantum optical coherence theory in novel experimental setups.
Main Methods:
- Designed a specialized experiment to isolate a single two-photon probability amplitude, thereby preventing two-photon interference.
- Observed the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect within this constrained experimental scheme.
Main Results:
- Successfully observed the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect despite the experimental design precluding two-photon interference.
- Experimental outcomes were consistent with interpretations derived from Glauber's quantum optical coherence theory.
Conclusions:
- The Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect can manifest even when direct two-photon interference is not possible.
- This research provides insights into the underlying physics of second-order coherence and the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect.
