Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Journal of the Optical Society of Korea

Two-Photon Interference Experiment in a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

Taesoo Kim, Heonoh Kim, Jeong-Hoon Ko, Goo-Dong Park

Published Jun 1, 2003• 11 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A two-photon interference experiment is presented in which an entangled pair of photons generated from a parametric down-conversion was incident on two input ports of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The experiment was carried out using two photon coincidence detection with two detectors at the two output ports of the interferometer. The measured coincidence counts exhibit an interference effect with visibility of 0.75 at simultaneous inputs and 0.38 at inputs with different arrival times according to the degree of photon number entanglement.

DOI
10.3807/josk.2003.7.2.113

Related papers

Two-photon interference in a standard Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Yanhua H. Shih, Alexander V. Sergienko, Morton H. Rubin +2 more

A pair of light quanta with different colors (155.9-nm difference in center wavelength) generated from parametric down-conversion was injected collinearly into one input port of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Coincidence interference behavior was studied over a wide range of optical path differences of the interferometer. A measurement of 75% interference visibility with oscillation of the pump frequency for a large optical path difference of the interferometer (43 cm) is the signature of a quantum two-photon entangled state, which reflects both particle and wave nature of the light quanta in one experiment.

Physical Review A•May 1, 1994•39 citations

Two-photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

John Rarity, P. R. Tapster, Eric Jakeman +4 more

Pairs of 826.8-nm correlated photons, generated by parametrically down-converting 413.4-nm krypton-ion laser light, are directed into a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer such that each photon of the pair enters a different input port. The rate of coincidence at the two output ports displays oscillations (as the path-length difference is swept) with a spatial period equal to the 413-nm wavelength of the pump photons, and with a visibility of 62% when the path-length difference exceeds the coherence length of the individual photon beams. This unequivocally demonstrates the nonclassical and entangled nature of the two-photon state.

Physical Review Letters•Sep 1, 1990•325 citations

Experiment on nonclassical fourth-order interference

Z. Y. Ou, X. Y. Zou, L. J. Wang +1 more

A new fourth-order interference experiment has been carried out and analyzed theoretically in classical and in quantum terms. Two photons produced in the process of parametric down-conversion provide the two inputs to a Mach-Zehnder type of interferometer, while two photodetectors coupled to a coincidence counter measure the output. The coincidence rate, after subtraction of accidentals, exhibits a cosine variation with the optical path difference, in agreement with quantum mechanics, but in disagreement with a classical analysis. By contrast, when two coherent light beams from a He:Ne laser are used as inputs to the interferometer, no fourth-order interference is observed.

Physical Review A•Sep 1, 1990•117 citations

Nonclassical fourth-order interference experiment

X. Y. Zou, Z. Y. Ou, L. J. Wang +1 more

A new fourth-order interference experiment based on detecting photon pairs in coincidence has been carried out. A Mach-Zehnder type of interferometer is used, with the two photons generated simultaneously in the process of down-conversion as inputs and two photon counting detectors at the two outputs. The optical path difference can be varied piezoelectrically. It is found that the coincidence counting rate, after subtraction of accidentals, exhibits a sinusoidal variation with the optical path difference as predicted by quantum mechanics, but in violation of the laws of classical optics. This is another non-classical interference effeet. By contrast, two light beams derived from a He:Ne laser used as inputs to the interferometer, do not produce any fourth order interference.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1990•0 citations

Quantum interference in an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Alessandro Trenti, Massimo Borghi, Mattia Mancinelli +3 more

Abstract A re-visitation of the well known free space Mach-Zehnder interferometer is reported here. The coexistence between one-photon and two-photons interference from collinear color entangled photon pairs is investigated. Thisarises from an arbitrarily small unbalance in the arm transmittance. The tuning of such asymmetry is reflected in dramatic changes in the coincidence detection, revealing beatings between one particle and two particle interference patterns. In particular, the role of the losses and of the intrinsic phase imperfectness of the lossy beamsplitter are explored in a single-port excited Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This configuration is especially useful for quantum optics on a chip, where the guiding geometry forces photons to travel in the same spatial mode.

Journal of Optics•Jul 4, 2016•9 citations

Simultaneous measurement of HOM-like and N00N-like two-photon wavepackets in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Heonoh Kim, Sang Min Lee, Han Seb Moon

We propose and experimentally demonstrate two-photon interference effects in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in which two different kinds of two-photon states are prepared by introducing a time delay between the two input photons. The two-photon states are simultaneously prepared in a symmetrically superposed state with two temporally separated photons in two different spatial modes or in the same spatial mode within the interferometer. We observe two-photon interference fringes involving both the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect and the interference of path-entangled two-photon states simultaneously in a single interferometric setup. The observed two-photon interference effect can provide a simultaneous observation of the interferometric properties of the single-photon and two-photon wavepackets

arXiv:1601.00469•Jan 4, 2016•0 citations
A two-photon interference experiment is presented in which an entangled pair of photons generated from a parametric down-conversion was incident on two input ports of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The experiment was carried out using two photon coincidence detection with two detectors at the two output ports of the interferometer. The measured coincidence counts exhibit an interference effect with visibility of 0.75 at simultaneous inputs and 0.38 at inputs with different arrival times according to the degree of photon number entanglement.
A pair of light quanta with different colors (155.9-nm difference in center wavelength) generated from parametric down-conversion was injected collinearly into one input port of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Coincidence interference behavior was studied over a wide range of optical path differences of the interferometer. A measurement of 75% interference visibility with oscillation of the pump frequency for a large optical path difference of the interferometer (43 cm) is the signature of a quantum two-photon entangled state, which reflects both particle and wave nature of the light quanta in one experiment.
Pairs of 826.8-nm correlated photons, generated by parametrically down-converting 413.4-nm krypton-ion laser light, are directed into a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer such that each photon of the pair enters a different input port. The rate of coincidence at the two output ports displays oscillations (as the path-length difference is swept) with a spatial period equal to the 413-nm wavelength of the pump photons, and with a visibility of 62% when the path-length difference exceeds the coherence length of the individual photon beams. This unequivocally demonstrates the nonclassical and entangled nature of the two-photon state.
A new fourth-order interference experiment has been carried out and analyzed theoretically in classical and in quantum terms. Two photons produced in the process of parametric down-conversion provide the two inputs to a Mach-Zehnder type of interferometer, while two photodetectors coupled to a coincidence counter measure the output. The coincidence rate, after subtraction of accidentals, exhibits a cosine variation with the optical path difference, in agreement with quantum mechanics, but in disagreement with a classical analysis. By contrast, when two coherent light beams from a He:Ne laser are used as inputs to the interferometer, no fourth-order interference is observed.
A new fourth-order interference experiment based on detecting photon pairs in coincidence has been carried out. A Mach-Zehnder type of interferometer is used, with the two photons generated simultaneously in the process of down-conversion as inputs and two photon counting detectors at the two outputs. The optical path difference can be varied piezoelectrically. It is found that the coincidence counting rate, after subtraction of accidentals, exhibits a sinusoidal variation with the optical path difference as predicted by quantum mechanics, but in violation of the laws of classical optics. This is another non-classical interference effeet. By contrast, two light beams derived from a He:Ne laser used as inputs to the interferometer, do not produce any fourth order interference.
Abstract A re-visitation of the well known free space Mach-Zehnder interferometer is reported here. The coexistence between one-photon and two-photons interference from collinear color entangled photon pairs is investigated. Thisarises from an arbitrarily small unbalance in the arm transmittance. The tuning of such asymmetry is reflected in dramatic changes in the coincidence detection, revealing beatings between one particle and two particle interference patterns. In particular, the role of the losses and of the intrinsic phase imperfectness of the lossy beamsplitter are explored in a single-port excited Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This configuration is especially useful for quantum optics on a chip, where the guiding geometry forces photons to travel in the same spatial mode.
We propose and experimentally demonstrate two-photon interference effects in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in which two different kinds of two-photon states are prepared by introducing a time delay between the two input photons. The two-photon states are simultaneously prepared in a symmetrically superposed state with two temporally separated photons in two different spatial modes or in the same spatial mode within the interferometer. We observe two-photon interference fringes involving both the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect and the interference of path-entangled two-photon states simultaneously in a single interferometric setup. The observed two-photon interference effect can provide a simultaneous observation of the interferometric properties of the single-photon and two-photon wavepackets