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

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Section A Mathematical and Physical Sciences

IX.—Possible Applications of Coincidence Counter Techniques in Optical Intensity Correlation Studies

Richard M. Sillitto

Published Jan 1, 1962• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Synopsis Methods which are widely used in the mathematical analysis of random noise are used here to obtain expressions for the coincidence-counting rates which could be obtained in studies of the intensity correlations between plane-polarized, parallel beams of nearly monochromatic light. It is shown that, with presently available circuit techniques, delayed coincidence measurements could provide information about the breadths of lines radiated by atomic beam light sources, and in prompt coincidence experiments it should be possible to observe interference between beams of incoherent light from sources whose line widths are comparable with those of the Hg198 electrodeless discharge.

DOI
10.1017/s0080454100007731

Related papers

PHOTON CORRELATION IN COHERENT LIGHT BEAMS

ERIC BRANNEN, H. I. S. Ferguson, W. H. Wehlau

Experiments have been carried out in an attempt to detect any correlation between photons in coherent light rays using a coincidence circuit of resolving time 2τ = 8 ×10 −9 second. A Hg 198 electrodeless discharge tube under rf excitation was used to provide an intense monochromatic source of narrow line width (0.006 Å and 0.009 Å) at 5461 Å. A positive correlation was detected and compared with theoretical predictions.

Canadian Journal of Physics•Jul 1, 1958•18 citations

The Detection of Time-correlated Photons by a Coincidence Counter

R. Q. Twiss, A. G. Little

The existence of a correlation between the arrival times of photons has been confirmed by measurements with a coincidence counter having a resolving time of 3·5 X 10-9 sec in three different experiments. In the first experiment it was found that the number of coincidence counts recorded from two photomultipliers, the apertures of which were optically superimposed, was significantly greater than when the light beams were incoherent. Furthermore, the number of these correlated counts was in satisfactory agreement with that predicted by theory. In the second experiment the change in the number of excess coincidences was measured as the degree of coherence of the light was altered by increasing the apparent separation of the photocathodes, and in this case also there was reasonable agreement between theory and experiment. In the final experiment it was shown that there was a significant difference between the number of coincidences observed when the light beams were in identical as opposed to orthogonal polarizations, and this last result especially makes it extremely improbable that the correlation could be caused by some spurious effect, such as plasma oscillations in the source, since the light source itself was found to be completely unpolarized.

Australian Journal of Physics•Mar 1, 1959•37 citations

Colored noise in dye laser fluctuations

R. Roy, A. W. Yu, Shitong Zhu

Introduction The investigation of the coherence properties of light sources has traditionally involved the study of correlation functions of different orders of the electric field (Born and Wolf, 1975; Mandel and Wolf, 1965). Field and intensity correlation functions have been measured for laser light (for a review, see Lax and Zwanziger, 1973) and have been compared with predictions obtained from quantum laser theory (Haken, 1970, 1981; Lax, 1969; Louisell, 1973; Sargent, Scully and Lamb, 1974). This was, in fact, one of the major confirmations of the correctness of the basic formalism of quantum laser theory. Most of the experiments that probed the coherence properties of lasers were, however, carried out on a very limited variety of lasing media. Interest was also centered on the regime of operation near threshold, where the light from the laser is extremely weak; hence photoelectron counting and correlation techniques were developed for the measurement of coherence properties of the laser light. While these early experiments were performed with the main intent of testing the basic theory, the large variety of lasers now available, and their ever more demanding applications, make it necessary to develop new methods for the measurement and analysis of laser fluctuations. These techniques should be applicable to the measurement of noise in high power lasers; at the same time, in order to delineate the limits of usage, they must be sensitive enough to quantitatively determine the quantum mechanical sources of noise which may lie buried in external noise that is many orders of magnitude larger.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Apr 6, 1989•5 citations

26.—Recent Light on Optical Interference

Richard M. Sillitto

Synopsis The interpretation of optical interference experiments at low light intensities and with independent light sources is discussed. A new experiment on interference between modulated light beams is described briefly, and its significance is indicated. There are two appendices, one a fuller discussion of the conditions under which interference and intensity correlation may be produced, the other a comment on one aspect of Jánossy and Nagy's discussion (1956) of the feasibility of the alternating slit interference experiment.

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Section A Mathematics•Jan 1, 1972•5 citations

Intensity Interference of Ultrashort Pulsed Fluorescence

Motoyoshi Baba, Ying Li, Masahiro Matsuoka

We extend the intensity interference experiments to a pulse envelope measurement of ultrashort incoherent optical pulses. The interfering fields can be mutually incoherent light pulses from independent sources. We show that the pulse envelope or width of ultrashort incoherent light pulses can be measured independently from the coherence time by using a combination of interferometer and two-photon coincidence counter. With this method we have measured the envelope autocorrelation of mutually incoherent femtosecond fluorescence from a solution of Nile Blue in dimethylaniline.

Physical Review Letters•Jun 17, 1996•9 citations

Interferometry of the intensity fluctuations in light. II. An experimental test of the theory for partially coherent light

Robert Hanbury Brown, R. Q. Twiss

Abstract A theoretical analysis is given of the correlation to be expected between the fluctuations in the outputs of two photoelectric detectors when these detectors are illuminated with partially coherent light. It is shown how this correlation depends upon the parameters of the equipment and upon the geometry of the experiment. The correlation may be detected either by linear multiplication of the fluctuations in the two outputs or by a coincidence counter which counts the simultaneous arrival of photons at the detectors. The theory is given for both these techniques and it is shown that they are closely equivalent. A laboratory test is described in which two photomultipliers were illuminated with partially coherent light and the correlation between the fluctuations in their outputs measured as a function of the degree of coherence. The results of this experiment are compared with the theory and it is shown that they agree within the limits of accuracy of the test; it is concluded that if there is any systematic error in the theory it is unlikely to exceed a few parts per cent.

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A Mathematical and Physical Sciences•Jan 14, 1958•263 citations
Synopsis Methods which are widely used in the mathematical analysis of random noise are used here to obtain expressions for the coincidence-counting rates which could be obtained in studies of the intensity correlations between plane-polarized, parallel beams of nearly monochromatic light. It is shown that, with presently available circuit techniques, delayed coincidence measurements could provide information about the breadths of lines radiated by atomic beam light sources, and in prompt coincidence experiments it should be possible to observe interference between beams of incoherent light from sources whose line widths are comparable with those of the Hg198 electrodeless discharge.
The existence of a correlation between the arrival times of photons has been confirmed by measurements with a coincidence counter having a resolving time of 3·5 X 10-9 sec in three different experiments. In the first experiment it was found that the number of coincidence counts recorded from two photomultipliers, the apertures of which were optically superimposed, was significantly greater than when the light beams were incoherent. Furthermore, the number of these correlated counts was in satisfactory agreement with that predicted by theory. In the second experiment the change in the number of excess coincidences was measured as the degree of coherence of the light was altered by increasing the apparent separation of the photocathodes, and in this case also there was reasonable agreement between theory and experiment. In the final experiment it was shown that there was a significant difference between the number of coincidences observed when the light beams were in identical as opposed to orthogonal polarizations, and this last result especially makes it extremely improbable that the correlation could be caused by some spurious effect, such as plasma oscillations in the source, since the light source itself was found to be completely unpolarized.
Introduction The investigation of the coherence properties of light sources has traditionally involved the study of correlation functions of different orders of the electric field (Born and Wolf, 1975; Mandel and Wolf, 1965). Field and intensity correlation functions have been measured for laser light (for a review, see Lax and Zwanziger, 1973) and have been compared with predictions obtained from quantum laser theory (Haken, 1970, 1981; Lax, 1969; Louisell, 1973; Sargent, Scully and Lamb, 1974). This was, in fact, one of the major confirmations of the correctness of the basic formalism of quantum laser theory. Most of the experiments that probed the coherence properties of lasers were, however, carried out on a very limited variety of lasing media. Interest was also centered on the regime of operation near threshold, where the light from the laser is extremely weak; hence photoelectron counting and correlation techniques were developed for the measurement of coherence properties of the laser light. While these early experiments were performed with the main intent of testing the basic theory, the large variety of lasers now available, and their ever more demanding applications, make it necessary to develop new methods for the measurement and analysis of laser fluctuations. These techniques should be applicable to the measurement of noise in high power lasers; at the same time, in order to delineate the limits of usage, they must be sensitive enough to quantitatively determine the quantum mechanical sources of noise which may lie buried in external noise that is many orders of magnitude larger.
Synopsis The interpretation of optical interference experiments at low light intensities and with independent light sources is discussed. A new experiment on interference between modulated light beams is described briefly, and its significance is indicated. There are two appendices, one a fuller discussion of the conditions under which interference and intensity correlation may be produced, the other a comment on one aspect of Jánossy and Nagy's discussion (1956) of the feasibility of the alternating slit interference experiment.
We extend the intensity interference experiments to a pulse envelope measurement of ultrashort incoherent optical pulses. The interfering fields can be mutually incoherent light pulses from independent sources. We show that the pulse envelope or width of ultrashort incoherent light pulses can be measured independently from the coherence time by using a combination of interferometer and two-photon coincidence counter. With this method we have measured the envelope autocorrelation of mutually incoherent femtosecond fluorescence from a solution of Nile Blue in dimethylaniline.
Abstract A theoretical analysis is given of the correlation to be expected between the fluctuations in the outputs of two photoelectric detectors when these detectors are illuminated with partially coherent light. It is shown how this correlation depends upon the parameters of the equipment and upon the geometry of the experiment. The correlation may be detected either by linear multiplication of the fluctuations in the two outputs or by a coincidence counter which counts the simultaneous arrival of photons at the detectors. The theory is given for both these techniques and it is shown that they are closely equivalent. A laboratory test is described in which two photomultipliers were illuminated with partially coherent light and the correlation between the fluctuations in their outputs measured as a function of the degree of coherence. The results of this experiment are compared with the theory and it is shown that they agree within the limits of accuracy of the test; it is concluded that if there is any systematic error in the theory it is unlikely to exceed a few parts per cent.