A Simple Field Theoretic Description of Photon Interference

G. S. Agarwal, P. Hariharan

Daniel F. Walls

A description of photon-interference experiments of the Young’s type using the techniques of quantum-field theory is presented. In particular, an explicit illustration of Dirac’s statement that a photon interferes only with itself is given. The interference patterns produced by a one photon, an n photon and a coherent photon field are calculated. A discussion of the degree of optical coherence possessed by the above fields is also incorporated. by the above fields is also incorporated.

John Gordon King, Malcolm Correll

Andrea Aiello

We present a simple yet rigorous field theoretic demonstration of the nonlocality of a single-photon field. The formalism used allows us to calculate the electric field of a single-photon light beam sent through a beam splitter, which directly demonstrates that it is the light field, rather than the photon itself regarded as a particle, that exhibits nonlocality. Our results are obtained without using either inequalities or specific measurement apparatuses, so that they have perfectly general validity.

L. Mandeļ

Evgenii B. Aleksandrov, O. V. Konstantinov, V. I. Perel

This monograph is devoted to the description and interpretation of interference between quantum states of an atom, as manifested in the angular distribution and polarization of spontaneous emission and absorption. The basic phenomena are first introduced and explained in terms of the simple classical dipole model. A more quantitative description follows, making use of the density matrix formalism and the statistical tensor. The theoretical sections are complemented by detailed accounts of experimental methods and results, such that the monograph as a whole gives a comprehensive picture of this field.