Direct observation of photon pairs at a single output port of a beam-splitter interferometer
Abstract
Quantum theory predicts that two indistinguishable photons incident on a beam-splitter interferometer exit together (the pair emerges randomly from one port or the other). We use a special photon-number-resolving energy detector for a direct observation of this quantum-interference phenomenon. Simultaneous measurements from two such detectors, one at each beam-splitter-interferometer output port, confirm the absence of cross coincidences. Photon-number-resolving detectors are expected to find use in other quantum-optics and quantum-information-processing experiments.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review A
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevA.68.063817
- arXiv:
- arXiv:quant-ph/0306131
- Bibcode:
- 2003PhRvA..68f3817D
- Keywords:
-
- 42.50.Dv;
- 42.50.Xa;
- 42.50.St;
- Nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field including entangled photon states;
- quantum state engineering and measurements;
- Optical tests of quantum theory;
- Nonclassical interferometry subwavelength lithography;
- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett