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Time-resolved two-photon quantum interference

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Abstract

The interference of two independent single-photon pulses impinging on a beam splitter is analysed in a generalised time-resolved manner. Different aspects of the phenomenon are elaborated using different representations of the single-photon wave packets, like the decomposition into single-frequency field modes or spatio-temporal modes matching the photonic wave packets. Both representations lead to equivalent results, and a photon-by-photon analysis reveals that the quantum-mechanical two-photon interference can be interpreted as a classical one-photon interference once a first photon is detected. A novel time-dependent quantum-beat effect is predicted if the interfering photons have different frequencies. The calculation also reveals that full two-photon fringe visibility can be achieved under almost any circumstances by applying a temporal filter to the signal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, 85748, Garching, Germany

    T. Legero, T. Wilk, A. Kuhn & G. Rempe

Authors
  1. T. Legero
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  2. T. Wilk
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  3. A. Kuhn
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  4. G. Rempe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Kuhn.

Additional information

PACS

42.50.Dv; 42.50.Ct

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Legero, T., Wilk, T., Kuhn, A. et al. Time-resolved two-photon quantum interference. Appl. Phys. B 77, 797–802 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-003-1337-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-003-1337-x

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