Abstract
By use of an atomic radiative cascade, we have been able to produce single photon states of the light. This light has been submitted to two different experiments. The first one shows an anticorrelation on both sides of a beam splitter (corpuscle-like behaviour). The second one yields interferences (wave-like behaviour).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R. Loudon, Rep. Progr. Phys. 43 (1980) 913.
R. Loudon,The Quantum Theory of Light, 2nd ed. (Clarendon, Oxford, 1983).
P. Grangier, G. Roger and A. Aspect, Europhysics Lett. 1 (1986) 173; P. Grangier, thèse de doctorat d'état, Université Paris XI, Orsay (1986).
P.A.M. Dirac,The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (Oxford University Press, 1958).
W.E. Lamb and M.O. Scully, in:Polarisation, Matière et Rayonnement, ed. Société Française de Physique (Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1969).
D.C. Burnham and D.L. Weinberg, Phys. Rev. Lett. 25 (1970) 84; S. Friberg, C.K. Hong and L. Mandel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 54 (1985) 2011.
J.F. Clauser, Phys. Rev. D9 (1974) 853.
H.J. Kimble, M. Dagenais and L. Mandel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 39 (1977) 691; J.D. Cresser, J. Hager, G. Leuchs, M. Rateike and H. Walther, in:Topics in Current Physics, Vol 27 (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1982).
R. Short and L. Mandel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 51 (1983) 384; M.C. Teich and B.E.A. Saleh, J.O.S.A. B2 (1985) 275. All the recent observations of squeezing also constitute an evidence for “non-classical states of light”.
A. Aspect, P. Grangier and G. Roger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 47 (1981) 460.
Since our experiment, single photon pulses have been produced by a different technique, which consists in producing pairs of photons emitted in parametric splitting, and using one of these photons for the gating system. A theoretical advantage of these techniques is a better time and angular correlation between the two photons of a pair. See C.K. Hong and L. Mandel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 56 (1986) 58; J.G. Walker and E. Jakeman, Optica Acta 32 (1985) 1303.
E.S. Fry, Phys. Rev. A8 (1973) 1219.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aspect, A., Grangier, P. Wave-particle duality for single photons. Hyperfine Interact 37, 1–17 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02395701
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02395701