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Physical Review Letters

Observation of long-range intensity correlation in the transport of coherent light through a random medium

Meint P. van Albada, Johannes F. de Boer, Ad Lagendijk

Published Jun 4, 1990• 160 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have measured the correlation in frequency-dependent intensity fluctuations in the total transmission through random dielectric samples, using visible light in a (essentially) plane-wave geometry. The correlation function, of which the width at half maximum is proportional to ${\mathit{L}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$ (L is the thickness of the sample), decays as (\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\omega}${)}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/2}$. This constitutes the experimental proof for the buildup of long-range intensity correlations in the propagation of classical waves by multiple scattering.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.64.2787

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We have measured the correlation in frequency-dependent intensity fluctuations in the total transmission through random dielectric samples, using visible light in a (essentially) plane-wave geometry. The correlation function, of which the width at half maximum is proportional to L\ensuremath−2{\mathit{L}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}L\ensuremath−2 (L is the thickness of the sample), decays as (\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\omega})\ensuremath−1/2{)}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/2})\ensuremath−1/2. This constitutes the experimental proof for the buildup of long-range intensity correlations in the propagation of classical waves by multiple scattering.
We present an experimental study of the propagation of quantum noise in a multiple scattering random medium. Both static and dynamic scattering measurements are performed: the total transmission of noise is related to the mean free path for scattering, while the noise frequency correlation function determines the diffusion constant. The quantum noise observables are found to scale markedly differently with scattering parameters compared to classical noise observables. The measurements are explained with a full quantum model of multiple scattering.
Propagating quadrature squeezed light through a multiple scattering random medium is found to induce pronounced spatial quantum correlations that have no classical analogue. The correlations are revealed in the number of photons transported through the sample that can be measured from the intensity fluctuations of the total transmission or reflection. In contrast, no pronounced spatial quantum correlations appear in the quadrature amplitudes where excess noise above the shot noise level is found.
The paper presents the first experimental study of the propagation of quantum noise through an elastic, multiple scattering medium. Two different types of quantum noise measurements have been carried out: total transmission and short-range frequency correlations. When comparing shot noise (quantum) to technical noise (classical) a markedly different behavior is observed. The experimental results are found to be in agreement with a quantum model for multiple scattering of light, which allows extracting both static and dynamic scattering properties of the medium. A new quantum correlation in multiple scattering is proposed.