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

The first- and second-order temporal interference between thermal and laser light

Jianbin Liu, Huaibin Zheng, Hui Chen, Yu Zhou, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
Opt. Express 23(9) 11868-11878 (2015)

Second-order fermionic interference with independent photons

Jianbin Liu, Hui Chen, Yu Zhou, Huaibin Zheng, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 34(6) 1215-1222 (2017)

Spatial second-order interference of pseudothermal light in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer

Jianbin Liu, Yu Zhou, Wentao Wang, Rui-feng Liu, Kang He, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
Opt. Express 21(16) 19209-19218 (2013)

Photon superbunching of classical light in the Hanbury Brown–Twiss interferometer

Bin Bai, Jianbin Liu, Yu Zhou, Huaibin Zheng, Hui Chen, Songlin Zhang, Yuchen He, Fuli Li, and Zhuo Xu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 34(10) 2081-2088 (2017)

Studying fermionic ghost imaging with independent photons

Jianbin Liu, Yu Zhou, Huaibin Zheng, Hui Chen, Fu-li Li, and Zhuo Xu
Opt. Express 24(25) 29226-29236 (2016)