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Polarization and Coherence Analysis of the Optical Two-Photon Radiation from the metastable22 S 1/2 State of Atomic Hydrogen

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Complete Scattering Experiments

Part of the book series: Physics of Atoms and Molecules ((PAMO))

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Abstract

The Paper first summarizes fundamental aspects and results of the quantum electrodynamical theory of the two-photon radiationfromthe decay of the metastable 2 2 S 1/2 atomic hydrogen state. After a brief description of the second improved Stirling two-photon coincidence experiment polarization correlations of the two-photon decay are described in which both two or three linear polarizers are applied in order to test predictions of such correlations based upon quantum mechanics and local realistic theories (i.e., Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen type experiments). It is particularly noticeable that the three-polarizer coincidence measurement provided the largest difference (about 40%) between the Bell limits of local realistic theories and quantum mechanics so far. Apart from confirming in addition the correlations of right-right and left-left circularly polarized two-photon correlations a new type of coherence analysis of the two-photon radiation has been carried out experimentally and theoretically. A result of it is the measured coherence time of τ coh = 1.2 · 10 −15 s and coherence length of l coh = c · τ coh = 350 nm of the two-photon emission. By applying a theoretical model of the two-photon radiation linked to cascade transitions the coherence length can be estimated to l coh ≈ 100 nm in agreement by order of magnitude with the experimental data.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Atomic and Molecular Physics, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland

    A. J. Duncan & H. Kleinpoppen

  2. Department of Physics, B.Z. University, Multan, Pakistan

    Z. A. Sheikh

Authors
  1. A. J. Duncan
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  2. H. Kleinpoppen
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  3. Z. A. Sheikh
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany

    Uwe Becker

  2. University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England

    Albert Crowe

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© 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Duncan, A.J., Kleinpoppen, H., Sheikh, Z.A. (2002). Polarization and Coherence Analysis of the Optical Two-Photon Radiation from the metastable22 S 1/2 State of Atomic Hydrogen. In: Becker, U., Crowe, A. (eds) Complete Scattering Experiments. Physics of Atoms and Molecules. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47106-X_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47106-X_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-46503-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47106-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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