Controlled Decoherence in Multiple Beam Ramsey Interference
Abstract
We have scattered photons from an interfering path of a multiple beam Ramsey interference experiment realized with a cesium atomic beam. It is demonstrated that in multiple beam interference the decoherence from photon scattering cannot only lead to a decrease but, under certain conditions, also to an increase of the Michelson fringe contrast. In all cases, the atomic quantum state loses information with photon scattering, as ``which-path'' information is carried away by the photon field. We outline an approach to quantify this which-path information from observed fringe signals, which allows for an appropriate measure of decoherence in multiple path interference.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- January 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.559
- Bibcode:
- 2001PhRvL..86..559M