Undergraduate quantum optics: experimental steps to quantum physics
Ruediger Scholz, Gunnar Friege, Kim-Alessandro Weber · European Journal of Physics · 2018
Abstract We report on a step-by-step-series of experiments from statistical optics with classical light to undergraduate quantum optics with single-photon states, particularly suitable to paving an introductory way to quantum phenomena. We build up a progressive process analysing temporal variations of the irradiance of light discerned by measuring the value of the non-delayed second-order correlation function g (2) ( τ = 0). We demonstrate how Poisson distributed photoelectron counts from constant irradiance ( g (2) (0) = 1) can be used to calibrate the apparatus. Measurements with harmonically modulated irradiance of Poissonian light give an introduction to g (2) (0) correlation analysis. After these introductory steps, we demonstrate photon bunching with (pseudo-) thermal light ( g (2) (0) ≈ 2), and finally show quantum antibunching of photons in Fock states ( g (2) (0) ≈ 0). All measurements are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions.