Title :
Semiclassical vs. quantum behavior in fourth-order interference
Author :
Shapiro, Jeffrey H. ; Sun, KeXun
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
We explore semiclassical and quantum descriptions of fourth-order interference that are built upon classical and quantum Gaussian-state models for the signal and idler outputs from a parametric down converter. Our approach unifies the analysis of fourth-order interference with those for squeezing and photon twins. It also demonstrates that a purely-quantum fourth-order interference effect can be claimed at fringe visibilities substantially below the commonly accepted threshold of 50%. We start with a pair of models - one quantum and one classical - for the signal and idler fields produced by parametric down conversion
Keywords :
light interference; optical frequency conversion; optical parametric amplifiers; optical parametric devices; optical parametric oscillators; optical squeezing; photon counting; quantum optics; Gaussian-state models; fourth-order interference; fringe visibilities; idler output; parametric down converter; photon twins; purely-quantum fourth-order interference effect; quantum behavior; semiclassical description; signal output; squeezing; Frequency; Interference; Noise level; Nonlinear optics; Phase noise; Photonic crystals; Quantum mechanics; Signal generators; Stimulated emission; Sun;
Conference_Titel :
Nonlinear Optics: Materials, Fundamentals, and Applications, 1994. NLO '94 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1473-5
DOI :
10.1109/NLO.1994.470783
