独立伪热光源的双光子干涉

自Dirac提出一个光子只能与自己干涉之后，Mandel等人用两个独立的激光器实现一阶干涉实验，引发了人们对于独立光源干涉问题的更多关注和探讨。我们首次以两个独立的伪热光源观察到二阶关联亚波长干涉现象。在实验中发现当两个独立的光源偏振相同时，固定一个单光子探测器扫描另一个探测器，通过符合探测能够探测到类经典的一阶干涉；在反对称的方向（x，-x）同时扫描两个探测器，能够探测到亚波长干涉条纹。用经典的理论方法也可对此现象作简单的解释。当光源的偏振互相垂直时，则无法探测到类经典的一阶干涉或亚波长干涉。这些实验现象将有助于人们理解双光子干涉的本质；热光因其双光子特性有可能有些特殊的应用。     

单光子探测器量子效率的自绝对标定

单光子探测器日益广泛地应用于科学研究的各个领域，精确地标定其量子效率成为应用的先决条件。我们首次实现了单光子探测器量子效率自绝对标定的原理性实验，即只利用待测探测器本身就可以对其量子效率进行绝对标定，而不需要第二个探测器或任何参考标准。该方法基于自发参量下转换产生的纠缠光子对的时间关联性，在信号光子和闲散光子之间引入延时，由单光子计数率和符合计数率测得探测器的量子效率。     

双光子连续频率变量纠缠熵

介绍了连续频率变量系统中纠缠熵的计算方法。根据这种方法我们计算了自发参量下转换产生的具有高斯型频谱形式的双光子态的纠缠熵,证实了纠缠熵的大小和泵浦光带宽(σp)与下转换光带宽(σ)之比有关的直观分析.     

光折变二波混频的非经典效应

提出并从实验上演示了一种利用光折变晶体中的二波混频过程产生非经典光的方法.由于光折变晶体的三阶非线性效应,信号光束从较强的泵浦光束获得能量,被放大,同时泵浦光束的噪声被降低,对单光子量级的泵浦光束其量子噪声可被降低.用强度为单光子流的He-Ne 激光在光折变晶体BaTiO3内形成简并二波混频,测量输出的泵浦光的光子计数率,同时监测晶体前激光(相干态光)的光子计数率,求得泵浦光的Fano因子为0.98,即相干态的泵浦光转换成亚泊松光.由于激光器本身的功率不太稳定、探测效率不为100%等因素的影响,实际的Fano因子应比测量值更小.这是一种获得亚泊松非经典光的简便有效的方法.     

Visibility enhancement in two-dimensional lensless ghost imaging with true thermal light

We report an experimental demonstration of two-dimensional(2D) lensless ghost imaging with true thermal light. An electrodeless discharge lamp with a higher light intensity than the hollow cathode lamp used before is employed as a light source. The main problem encountered by the 2D lensless ghost imaging with true thermal light is that its coherence time is much shorter than the resolution time of the detection system. To overcome this difficulty we derive a method based on the relationship between the true and measured values of the second-order optical intensity correlation, by which means the visibility of the ghost image can be dramatically enhanced. This method would also be suitable for ghost imaging with natural sunlight.     

Third-order optical intensity correlation measurements of pseudo-thermal light

Third-order Hanbrury Brown–Twiss and double-slit interference experiments with a pseudo-thermal light are performed by recording intensities in single, double and triple optical paths, respectively. The experimental results verifies the theoretical prediction that the indispensable condition for achieving a interference pattern or ghost image in Nth-order intensity correlation measurements is the synchronous detection of the same light field by each reference detector, no matter the intensities recorded in one, or two, or N optical paths. It is shown that, when the reference detectors are scanned in the opposite directions, the visibility and resolution of the third-order spatial correlation function of thermal light is much better than that scanned in the same direction, but it is no use for obtaining the Nth-order interference pattern or ghost image in the thermal Nth-order interference or ghost imaging.