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arXiv · 1107.1353

Quantum Nature of Light Measured With a Single Detector

Gesine A. Steudle·Stefan Schietinger·David Höckel·Sander N. Dorenbos·Valery Zwiller·Oliver Benson
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Abstract

We realized the most fundamental quantum optical experiment to prove the non-classical character of light: Only a single quantum emitter and a single superconducting nanowire detector were used. A particular appeal of our experiment is its elegance and simplicity. Yet its results unambiguously enforce a quantum theory for light. Previous experiments relied on more complex setups, such as the Hanbury-Brown-Twiss configuration, where a beam splitter directs light to two photodetectors, giving the false impression that the beam splitter is required. Our work results in a major simplification of the widely used photon-correlation techniques with applications ranging from quantum information processing to single-molecule detection.

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Gesine A. Steudle, Stefan Schietinger, David Höckel, Sander N. Dorenbos, Valery Zwiller, Oliver Benson. 2011-07-07. Quantum Nature of Light Measured With a Single Detector. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.86.053814

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