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

International Journal of Quantum Information

TWO-PHOTON CORRELATION OF CHAOTIC LIGHT: A QUANTUM INTERFERENCE PHENOMENON

Yanhua H. Shih, Giuliano Scarcelli, V. Berardi

Published Feb 1, 2007• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, are essentially the quantum effect of two-photon interference, instead of the classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we analyze a "ghost" imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of a two-photon phase-conjugate mirror, which suggests lensless imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.

DOI
10.1142/s0219749907002591

Related papers

Quantum interference approach to two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light

Giuliano Scarcelli, V. Berardi, Yanhua H. Shih

Two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, are essentially quantum effect of two-photon interference, instead of classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we analyze a "ghost" imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of two-photon phase-conjugate mirror which suggests lensless imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 31, 2006•0 citations

Quantum interference approach to two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light

Giuliano Scarcelli, V. Berardi, Yanhua H. Shih

We present a quantum two-photon interference approach to two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical experiment of Hanbury Brown and Twiss. We argue against the interpretation of such phenomena in terms of a classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we show a ‘ghost’ imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of two-photon phase-conjugate mirrors which is very advantageous because it yields lensless two-photon imaging, suggesting imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.

Journal of Modern Optics•Oct 25, 2006•9 citations

Can Two-Photon Correlation of Chaotic Light Be Considered as Correlation of Intensity Fluctuations?

Giuliano Scarcelli, V. Berardi, Yanhua H. Shih

Two-photon correlation phenomena, including the historical experiment of Hanbury Brown and Twiss, may have to be described quantum mechanically, regardless of whether the source of radiation is classical or quantum. Supporting this point, we present a ghost imaging type of second-order spatial correlation experiment of chaotic light to show that the classical understanding based on the concept of statistical intensity fluctuations does not give a correct interpretation for the observation. From a practical point of view, this experiment demonstrates the possibility of having high contrast lensless two-photon imaging with chaotic light, suggesting imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.

Physical Review Letters•Feb 14, 2006•307 citations

Hanbury-Brown and Twiss effect without quantum interference in photon counting regime

Bai, Bin, Yu Zhou, Hui Chen +6 more

Usually HBT effect can be interpreted by classical (intensity fluctuation correlation) and quantum (interference of two-photon probability amplitudes) theories properly at the same time. In this manuscript, we report a deliberately designed experiment in which two chaotic light beams has the same intensity fluctuation but mutual-orthogonal polarizations to each other so there will be no interference of two-photon probability amplitudes. Classical and quantum theory give different predictions on if there should be HBT (photon bunching) effect or not in the experiment. The experiment results are used to test the two different predictions. At the end, both the temporal and spatial HBT effects are observed.

arXiv:1605.04424•May 14, 2016•0 citations

Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect without two-photon interference in photon counting regime

Bin Bai, Yu Zhou, Ruifeng Liu +4 more

From quantum point of view, Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect is a result of constructive-destructive two-photon interference. There should be no Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect if there was no two-photon interference. In this paper, we observed Hanbury Brown- Twiss effect in a specially designed experiment, in which two-photon interference is impossible by keeping only one two-photon probability amplitude in the experimental scheme. However, our experimental results can still be interpreted by Glauber's quantum optical coherence theory. The researches in our paper are helpful to understand the physics of the second-order coherence of light, especially the physics of Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect.

Scientific Reports•May 15, 2017•8 citations

Third-order correlation function and ghost imaging of chaotic thermal light in the photon counting regime

Yu Zhou, Jason Simon, Jianbin Liu +1 more

In a near-field three-photon correlation measurement, we observed the third-order temporal and spatial correlation functions of chaotic thermal light in the single-photon counting regime. In the study, we found that the probability of jointly detecting three randomly radiated photons from a chaotic thermal source by three individual detectors is $6$ times greater if the photodetection events fall in the coherence time and coherence area of the radiation field than if they do not. From the viewpoint of quantum mechanics, the observed phenomenon is the result of three-photon interference. By making use of this property, we measured the three-photon thermal light lensless ghost image of a double spot and achieved higher visibility compared with the two-photon thermal light ghost image.

Physical Review A•Apr 26, 2010•71 citations
Two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, are essentially the quantum effect of two-photon interference, instead of the classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we analyze a "ghost" imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of a two-photon phase-conjugate mirror, which suggests lensless imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.
Two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, are essentially quantum effect of two-photon interference, instead of classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we analyze a "ghost" imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of two-photon phase-conjugate mirror which suggests lensless imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.
We present a quantum two-photon interference approach to two-photon correlation phenomena of chaotic light, including the historical experiment of Hanbury Brown and Twiss. We argue against the interpretation of such phenomena in terms of a classical statistical correlation between intensity fluctuations. To support our view, we show a ‘ghost’ imaging experiment with chaotic light for which the classical understanding does not give a satisfactory interpretation. We also provide a two-photon optical picture of ghost imaging with chaotic light in terms of two-photon phase-conjugate mirrors which is very advantageous because it yields lensless two-photon imaging, suggesting imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.
Two-photon correlation phenomena, including the historical experiment of Hanbury Brown and Twiss, may have to be described quantum mechanically, regardless of whether the source of radiation is classical or quantum. Supporting this point, we present a ghost imaging type of second-order spatial correlation experiment of chaotic light to show that the classical understanding based on the concept of statistical intensity fluctuations does not give a correct interpretation for the observation. From a practical point of view, this experiment demonstrates the possibility of having high contrast lensless two-photon imaging with chaotic light, suggesting imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.
Usually HBT effect can be interpreted by classical (intensity fluctuation correlation) and quantum (interference of two-photon probability amplitudes) theories properly at the same time. In this manuscript, we report a deliberately designed experiment in which two chaotic light beams has the same intensity fluctuation but mutual-orthogonal polarizations to each other so there will be no interference of two-photon probability amplitudes. Classical and quantum theory give different predictions on if there should be HBT (photon bunching) effect or not in the experiment. The experiment results are used to test the two different predictions. At the end, both the temporal and spatial HBT effects are observed.
From quantum point of view, Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect is a result of constructive-destructive two-photon interference. There should be no Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect if there was no two-photon interference. In this paper, we observed Hanbury Brown- Twiss effect in a specially designed experiment, in which two-photon interference is impossible by keeping only one two-photon probability amplitude in the experimental scheme. However, our experimental results can still be interpreted by Glauber's quantum optical coherence theory. The researches in our paper are helpful to understand the physics of the second-order coherence of light, especially the physics of Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect.
In a near-field three-photon correlation measurement, we observed the third-order temporal and spatial correlation functions of chaotic thermal light in the single-photon counting regime. In the study, we found that the probability of jointly detecting three randomly radiated photons from a chaotic thermal source by three individual detectors is 666 times greater if the photodetection events fall in the coherence time and coherence area of the radiation field than if they do not. From the viewpoint of quantum mechanics, the observed phenomenon is the result of three-photon interference. By making use of this property, we measured the three-photon thermal light lensless ghost image of a double spot and achieved higher visibility compared with the two-photon thermal light ghost image.