Abstract
The formation process of the second-order interference pattern is studied experimentally in the photon counting regime by superposing two independent single-mode continuous-wave lasers. Two-photon interference based on the superposition principle in Feynman’s path integral theory is employed to interpret the experimental results. The second-order interference pattern of classical light can be formulated when, with high probability, there are only two photons in the interferometer at one time. The studies are helpful in understanding the second-order interference of classical light in the language of photons. The method and conclusions can be generalized to the third- and higher-order interference of light and interference of massive particles.
© 2015 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Jianbin Liu, Huaibin Zheng, Hui Chen, Yu Zhou, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
Opt. Express 23(9) 11868-11878 (2015)
Jianbin Liu, Hui Chen, Yu Zhou, Huaibin Zheng, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 34(6) 1215-1222 (2017)
Jianbin Liu, Yu Zhou, Wentao Wang, Rui-feng Liu, Kang He, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
Opt. Express 21(16) 19209-19218 (2013)