180 research outputs found
Observation of correlated-photon statistics using a single detector
We report experimental observations of correlated-photon statistics in the
single-photon detection rate. The usual quantum interference in a two-photon
polarization interferometer always accompanies a dip in the single detector
counting rate, regardless of whether a dip or peak is seen in the coincidence
rate. This effect is explained by taking into account all possible photon
number states that reach the detector, rather than considering just the state
post-selected by the coincidence measurement. We also report an
interferometeric scheme in which the interference peak or dip in coincidence
corresponds directly to a peak or dip in the single-photon detection rate.Comment: 4 pages, two-column (minor errors corrected.
Microstructure and Optical Properties of Tantalum Modified TiO2 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process
Tantalum doped TiO2 thin films ((TiO2)(1-x) (Ta2O5)(x), x = 0, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.8%) were prepared on ITO-coated substrates by means of the sol gel method and spin coating technology followed by rapid thermal annealing treatment (RTA). The effects of various processing parameters, including Ta content (x = 0-0.8%) and annealing temperature, on the growth and properties of thin films were investigated. Structural characteristics by X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the doping of Ta2O5 in the TiO2 without change the anatase structure of TiO2 thin films. The optical transmittance of (TiO2)(1-x) (Ta2O5) thin films decrease from 50% down to 20% with increasing the Ta2O5 concentrations from x = 0.00 to x = 0.8%. The absorption coefficient shows energy gap were decreased with increasing Ta2O5 content from 2.932 eV for x = 0.00 to 2.717 eV for x = 0.8%. Doping TiO2 with Ta2O5 can lower its band gap and shift its optical response to the visible region
A Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for a Two-Photon Wave Packet
We propose an experiment that permits observation of the de Broglie
two-photon wave packet behavior for a pair of photons, using a Mach-Zehnder
interferometer. It is based on the use of pulsed lasers to generate pairs of
photons via spontaneous parametric down-conversion and the post-selection of
events. It differs from previous realizations by the use of a third
time-correlated photon to engineer the state of the photons. The same technique
can give us which-path information via an ``interaction-free'' experiment and
can be used in other experiments on the foundations of quantum mechanics
related to wave-particle duality and to nonlocality.Comment: Submmited for publication in Physical Review
Irrelevance of photon events distinguishability in a class of Bell experiments
We show that the possibility of distinguishing between single- and two-photon detection events, usually not met in the actual experiments, is not a necessary requirement for proof that the experiments of Alley and Shih [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 2921 (1988)] and Ou and Mandel [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 50 (1988)] are modulo a fair sampling assumption, valid tests of local realism. We also give the critical parameters for the experiments to be unconditional tests of local realism, and show that some other interesting phenomena (involving bosonic-type particle indistinguishability) can be observed during such tests
Creep behavior of copper-chromium in-situ composite
Creep deformation and fracture behaviors were investigated on a deformation-processed Cu-Cr in-situ composite over a temperature range of 200 °C to 650 °C. It was found that the creep resistance increases significantly with the introduction of Cr fibers into Cu. The stress exponent and the activation energy for creep of the composite at high temperatures (≥400 °C) were observed to be 5.5 and 180 to 216 kJ/mol, respectively. The observation that the stress exponent and the activation energy for creep of the composite at high temperatures (≥400 °C) are close to those of pure Cu suggests that the creep deformation of the composite is dominated by the deformation of the Cu matrix. The high stress exponent at low temperatures (200 °C and 300 °C) is thought be associated with the as-swaged microstructure, which contains elongated dislocation cells and subgrains that are stable and act as strong athermal obstacles at low temperatures. The mechanism of damage was found to be similar for all the creep tests performed, but the distribution and extent of damage were found to be very sensitive to the test temperature
Experimental Controlled-NOT Logic Gate for Single Photons in the Coincidence Basis
We report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a probabilistic
controlled-NOT gate for single photons. Single-photon control and target qubits
were mixed with a single ancilla photon in a device constructed using only
linear optical elements. The successful operation of the controlled-NOT gate
relied on post-selected three-photon interference effects which required the
detection of the photons in the output modes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; minor change
Quantum interference with beamlike type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion
We implement experimentally a method to generate photon-numberpath and
polarization entangled photon pairs using ``beamlike'' type-II spontaneous
parametric down-conversion (SPDC), in which the signal-idler photon pairs are
emitted as two separate circular beams with small emission angles rather than
as two diverging cones.Comment: 4 pages, two-colum
Complementarity, quantum erasure and delayed choice with modified Mach-Zehnder interferometers
Often cited dictums in Quantum Mechanics include "observation disturbance
causes loss of interference" and "ignorance is interference". In this paper we
propose and describe a series of experiments with modified Mach-Zehnder
interferometers showing that one has to be careful when applying such dictums.
We are able to show that without interacting in any way with the light quantum
(or quanta) expected to behave "wave-like", interference fringes can be lost by
simply gaining (or having the potential to gain) the which-path knowledge.
Erasing this information may revive the interference fringes. Delayed choice
can be added, arriving to an experiment in line with Wheeler's original
proposal. We also show that ignorance is not always synonym with having the
interference fringes. The often-invoked "collapse of the wavefunction" is found
to be a non-necessary ingredient to describe our experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; to appear in EPJ
Multiorder coherent Raman scattering of a quantum probe field
We study the multiorder coherent Raman scattering of a quantum probe field in
a far-off-resonance medium with a prepared coherence. Under the conditions of
negligible dispersion and limited bandwidth, we derive a Bessel-function
solution for the sideband field operators. We analytically and numerically
calculate various quantum statistical characteristics of the sideband fields.
We show that the multiorder coherent Raman process can replicate the
statistical properties of a single-mode quantum probe field into a broad comb
of generated Raman sidebands. We also study the mixing and modulation of photon
statistical properties in the case of two-mode input. We show that the prepared
Raman coherence and the medium length can be used as control parameters to
switch a sideband field from one type of photon statistics to another type, or
from a non-squeezed state to a squeezed state and vice versa.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Multi-parameter Entanglement in Quantum Interferometry
The role of multi-parameter entanglement in quantum interference from
collinear type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion is explored using a
variety of aperture shapes and sizes, in regimes of both ultrafast and
continuous-wave pumping. We have developed and experimentally verified a theory
of down-conversion which considers a quantum state that can be concurrently
entangled in frequency, wavevector, and polarization. In particular, we
demonstrate deviations from the familiar triangular interference dip, such as
asymmetry and peaking. These findings improve our capacity to control the
quantum state produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion, and should
prove useful to those pursuing the many proposed applications of down-converted
light.Comment: submitted to Physical Review
- …