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Frontiers in Optics

Partial Polarization of Light in a Single-photon Interference Experiment

Mayukh Lahiri

Published Jan 1, 2011• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show that light generated in a particular single-photon interference experiment is polarized when a photon behaves like wave, is unpolarized when it behaves like particle, and is partially polarized in the intermediate case.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2011.fthz3

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We establish that a connection exists between wave-particle duality of photons and partial polarization of a light beam. We perform a two-path lowest-order (single photon) interference experiment and demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that the degree of polarization of the light beam emerging from an output of the interferometer depends on path distinguishability. In our experiment, we are able to change the quantum state of the emerging photon from a pure state to a fully mixed state without any direct interaction with the photon. Although most lowest-order interference experiments can be explained by classical theory, our experiment has no genuine classical analog. Our results show that a case exists where the cause of partial polarization is beyond the scope of classical theory.
Young's double slit experiments, which represent the mystery of quantum mechanics, have been described by either the classical wave, or quantum probability waves or pilot waves. Recently, the novel experiments show that the interference patterns of the double slit/cross-double slit experiments may be curved. The previous phenomena of the light bending contain the gravity bending and Airy beam curving transversely. The curved Airy beam is interpreted by the quantum Schrödinger's wave equation and electromagnetic wave theory. To study the curved interference patterns of the comprehensive double slit experiments, we study the underlying physics first, namely, to study whether the light beam/photons behave as wave or as particle before forming the curved interference pattern. In this article, the comprehensive double slit experiments are performed, which show: (1) the fringes of the curved interference pattern are created independently and may be create partially; (2) the longitudinal shield and the metal tube inserted between the slide and the detector has no effect on the interference pattern. The experimental observations suggest that, before forming the curved interference pattern on the detector, photons behave as particles, which can be referred as "wave-particle-coexistence". The phenomena provide the comprehensive information/data for the theoretical study.