Two-photon Correlations in the Interference of a Resonance Fluorescence and a Classical Field
Th. Richter
The joint probability P 12 of detecting two photons at two different positions in the interference of a classical field with the resonance fluorescence field from a coherently driven two-level atom is investigated. We find that P 12 shows a stronger modulation with detector separation than is predicted by a classical wave theory. Under stationary conditions and if the driving field is strong enough to saturate the atomic transition, the relative modulation amplitude a of the P 12 pattern reaches its maximum possible value a = 1 for E → 0 (where E is the classical field amplitude), but simultaneously the whole phenomena vanishes, P 12 → 0. For equal intensities of the classical and the resonance fluorescent field we have a = ⅔. Compared with this, a classical wave theory predicts a possible maximum value of a = ½.
Journal of Modern Optics•Jan 1, 1991•1 citation