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

Optics Letters

Young’s interference fringes with narrow-band light

E. Wolf

Published May 1, 1983• 55 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The changes in the interference pattern in Young's interference experiment, produced by placing two identical narrow-band filters in front of the pinholes, are analyzed. It is shown theoretically that, in general, the fringes will not become sharp (i.e., their maximum visibility will not tend to unity) even when the filters have arbitrarily narrow passbands. The analysis brings out a relationship between the complex degree of coherence in the space-time and the space-frequency domains. When the passbands of the filters are narrow enough, the filtered light is found to be cross-spectrally pure.

DOI
10.1364/ol.8.000250

Related papers

The relationship between the fringes produced by Young's slits and by the Michelson interferometer

Derek N. Stacey

The author demonstrates a relationship between the pattern of straight interference fringes formed in Young's experiment and the circular fringes produced at infinity by a Michelson interferometer. The two patterns can both be considered to be produced by the interference of light from two coherent point sources. It is shown that the pattern given by these sources on a large sphere centred midway between them reduces to Young's fringes in the vicinity of zero path difference and to the Michelson pattern in the vicinity of maximum path difference.

European Journal of Physics•Jan 1, 1991•2 citations

Interference between resolvable wavelengths with single-photon–resolved detection

Lloyd M. Davis

Streak-camera detection of moving interference fringes with single-photon resolution constitutes a novel Young's experiment in which the exact frequency of each detected photon cannot be specified without destroying the visibility of the interference pattern. The experiment demonstrates first-order cross spectral coherence between resolvable frequencies, in which case the optical frequency of the detected light must be calculated in terms of a time-dependent spectrum.

Physical Review Letters•Mar 28, 1988•9 citations

Electron antibunching finally made beautiful

Christian Schönenberger

Interference is a classic property of waves. It can be seen most clearly when a coherent wave is split into two partial waves that are then recombined to produce periodic variations in the measured intensity. These variations can be observed directly as a pattern of bright and dark interference fringes on a screen. The classic interferometer set-up is the Young's double-slit experiment: a small light source emitting in a narrow frequency band is placed on one side of the slits, and an interference pattern is observed at the screen on the other side (figure a). The fringes are bright where the partial waves interfere constructively, and dark where the interference is destructive.

Physics World•Oct 1, 2002•0 citations

Complex degree of coherence and fringe visibility in spatial unitary transformations of scalar fields

Atri Halder, Ari T. Friberg

We study the effects of spatial unitary transformations on the complex degree of coherence and the visibility of intensity fringes in Young’s double pinhole interference setup with scalar light. We demonstrate that the degree of coherence and the visibility, in general, change in such transformations and may become zero for the output fields even when the input beams are correlated. Moreover, we explore the influence of unitary two-beam transformations on the complementarity relations associated with the degree of coherence, the intensity distinguishability, and the concurrence. We illustrate the results with the help of Gaussian Schell-model beams. Nonabsorbing beam splitters, which are key elements in optical systems, are practical realizations of spatial unitary transformations.

Optics Letters•Dec 20, 2019•3 citations

Theoretical Analysis of Visibility of Young's Interference Fringe

Xie Yu

Based on Van Cittert-Zernike theorem,the influence factors of the vi sibility of Young′s interference fringe,related to the bandwidth of light sourc e,the size of extended light source,and the spacing between the both of slots ar e analysed.

Journal of Huaibei Industry Teachers College•Jan 1, 2004•0 citations

Control of Young’s fringes visibility by stimulated down-conversion

P. H. Souto Ribeiro, Sebastião Pádua, J. C. Machado da Silva +1 more

The stimulated parametric-down-conversion luminescence is used as a light source with controlled spatial coherence. Performing the double-slit Young experiment, we show that the interference-pattern visibilities can be controlled by varying the inducing laser intensity. The results indicate that down-conversion light statistics change during this variation. A simple theoretical description is also shown.

Physical Review A•Feb 1, 1995•20 citations
The changes in the interference pattern in Young's interference experiment, produced by placing two identical narrow-band filters in front of the pinholes, are analyzed. It is shown theoretically that, in general, the fringes will not become sharp (i.e., their maximum visibility will not tend to unity) even when the filters have arbitrarily narrow passbands. The analysis brings out a relationship between the complex degree of coherence in the space-time and the space-frequency domains. When the passbands of the filters are narrow enough, the filtered light is found to be cross-spectrally pure.
The author demonstrates a relationship between the pattern of straight interference fringes formed in Young's experiment and the circular fringes produced at infinity by a Michelson interferometer. The two patterns can both be considered to be produced by the interference of light from two coherent point sources. It is shown that the pattern given by these sources on a large sphere centred midway between them reduces to Young's fringes in the vicinity of zero path difference and to the Michelson pattern in the vicinity of maximum path difference.
Interference is a classic property of waves. It can be seen most clearly when a coherent wave is split into two partial waves that are then recombined to produce periodic variations in the measured intensity. These variations can be observed directly as a pattern of bright and dark interference fringes on a screen. The classic interferometer set-up is the Young's double-slit experiment: a small light source emitting in a narrow frequency band is placed on one side of the slits, and an interference pattern is observed at the screen on the other side (figure a). The fringes are bright where the partial waves interfere constructively, and dark where the interference is destructive.
We study the effects of spatial unitary transformations on the complex degree of coherence and the visibility of intensity fringes in Young’s double pinhole interference setup with scalar light. We demonstrate that the degree of coherence and the visibility, in general, change in such transformations and may become zero for the output fields even when the input beams are correlated. Moreover, we explore the influence of unitary two-beam transformations on the complementarity relations associated with the degree of coherence, the intensity distinguishability, and the concurrence. We illustrate the results with the help of Gaussian Schell-model beams. Nonabsorbing beam splitters, which are key elements in optical systems, are practical realizations of spatial unitary transformations.