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Chinese Physics

Transparency induced by two-photon interference in a beam splitter

Wang Kai-Ge, Guojian Yang

Published Apr 29, 2004• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a special two-photon state which is completely transparent in a 50/50 beam splitter. This effect is caused by the destructive two-photon interference and shows the signature of photon entanglement. We find that the symmetry of the two-photon spectrum plays the key role for the properties of two-photon interference.
DOI
10.1088/1009-1963/13/5/020

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We study theoretically the interference of a two-photon wavepacket in a beam splitter. We find that the spectrum symmetry for the two-photon wavepacket dominates the perfect coalescence and anti-coalescence interference. The coalescence interference is unrelated to photon entanglement. Only the anti-coalescence interference has evidence of photon entanglement. We prove that the two-photon wavepacket with an anti-symmetric spectrum is transparent to pass the 50/50 beam splitter, showing perfect anti-coalescence interference.
A general theory is derived for the interference of a two-photon wavepacket in a beamsplitter. The theory is presented in the Schrödinger picture so that the quantum nature of the two-photon interference is explicitly revealed. We find that the topological symmetry of the probability-amplitude spectrum of the two-photon wavepacket dominates the nature of the two-photon interference, which may be distinguished by the increase or decrease of the coincidence probability in the absence of interference. However, two-photon entanglement can be identified by the nature of the interference. We demonstrate the necessary and sufficient conditions for perfect two-photon interference. It is shown that a two-photon entangled state with an anti-symmetric spectrum passes through a 50/50 beamsplitter with perfect transparency. The theory provides us with a unified understanding of the various two-photon interference effects.
We present a general theory on the interference of a two-photon wave packet associated with spatial modes at a beam splitter. We find that the topological symmetry of the two-photon angular spectrum governs the nature of the two-photon interference. We distinguish between the coalescence interference and anticoalescence interference according to the decrease or increase of the coincidence probability in the absence of interference, respectively, and demonstrate that the symmetric and antisymmetric two-photon angular spectra are responsible for perfect coalescence interference and anticoalescence interference, respectively. Then we prove that anticoalescence interference never occurs for two independent photons, and it turns out that anticoalescence interference is the signature of two-photon entanglement. On the basis of this feature, we propose a special Mach-Zehnder interferometer, incorporated with two spiral phase plates, which can change the interference from a coalescence to an anticoalescence type only for a two-photon entangled state. The scheme is simple and straightforward compared with a test of Bell's inequality.
Hong-Ou-Mandel interference is one of the clearest signatures of quantum behaviour: two identical photons meeting at a beam splitter always leave together. Here we demonstrate that this symmetry can be broken. Using a programmable integrated photonic processor, we interfere imbalanced two-photon states on a variable beam splitter and show that the output state of quantum interference can be continuously tuned, reaching the extreme case where destructive interference suppresses bunching at one output port. The asymmetry creates a forbidden bunching channel: photons may exit together at one port or separately at both ports, but cannot emerge together at the other port.