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Physical Review Letters

Stimulated Emission as a Result of Multiphoton Interference

Fang‐Wen Sun, Bi‐Heng Liu, Yan-Xiao Gong, Yun‐Feng Huang, Z. Y. Ou, Guang‐Can Guo

Published Jul 25, 2007• 27 citations
Publisher

Abstract

By performing an experiment on stimulated emission by two photons in the parametric amplification process and comparing it to a three-photon interference scheme, we present evidence in support of the idea that the underlying physics of stimulated emission is simply the constructive interference due to photon indistinguishability. So the observed signal enhancement upon the input of photons can be interpreted as a result of multiphoton interference of the input photons and the otherwise spontaneously emitted photon from the amplifier.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.99.043601

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By performing an experiment on stimulated emission by two photons in the parametric amplification process and comparing it to a three-photon interference scheme, we present evidence in support of the idea that the underlying physics of stimulated emission is simply the constructive interference due to photon indistinguishability. So the observed signal enhancement upon the input of photons can be interpreted as a result of multiphoton interference of the input photons and the otherwise spontaneously emitted photon from the amplifier.
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Although induced coherence is generally associated with induced or stimulated emission, in the process of spontaneous parametric downconversion of light induced coherence can be generated on its own. This is demonstrated in an experiment in which the signal beams from two coherently pumped downconverters come together and interfere whenever the idler beam from the first downconverter (DC1) passes through and is aligned with the second downconverter (DC2). Misaligning the idlers, or blocking the first idler, makes the interference disappear. More generally, the degree of coherence can be controlled by varying the amplitude of the idler from DC1 that reaches DC2. The interpretation of this nonclassical interference is discussed in terms of the interpretation of the wave function or state vector of the emitted photon.