Time-domain Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of quasi-thermal fields and its application in linear optical circuit...

Area of Science:

• Quantum Optics
• Photon Statistics

Background:

• Quasi-thermal light sources are crucial for quantum optics experiments.
• Understanding temporal correlations is key to manipulating light fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate temporal correlations of interfering quasi-thermal fields.
• To explore the impact of the Doppler effect on these correlations.
• To propose a method for characterizing linear optical circuits using Hong-Ou-Mandel interference.

Main Methods:

• Scattering laser radiation on a rotating ground glass disk to generate quasi-thermal fields.
• Analyzing temporal cross-correlation functions of the interfering fields.
• Utilizing Hong-Ou-Mandel interference in the time domain.

Main Results:

• Observed oscillations in the temporal cross-correlation function due to the Doppler effect.
• Demonstrated that these oscillations are a signature of the rotating ground glass.
• Established a link between Doppler-induced oscillations and circuit characterization.

Conclusions:

• The Doppler effect significantly influences temporal correlations in quasi-thermal light.
• Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of quasi-thermal fields offers a novel method for characterizing linear optical circuits.
• This technique provides a new tool for optical metrology and quantum information processing.