Interference between photons that never meet

In summary, a new addition to the pantheon of impossible photon tricks has been reported by Andrew Shields and his colleagues at Toshiba Research Europe. They have successfully demonstrated two-photon interference between degenerate single photons that never meet, traveling in opposite directions through a fiber-optic interferometer and reaching two different, spatially separated, 2-by-2 couplers at the same time. This experiment confirms quantum mechanics predictions and does not destroy Bohmian mechanics.
  • #1
SF
The pantheon of impossible photon tricks grows ever larger. Today, a new addition from Andrew Shields and pals at Toshiba Research Europe in Cambridge, UK:

“We report an experiment in which two-photon interference occurs between degenerate single photons that never meet. The two photons travel in opposite directions through our fibre-optic interferometer and interference occurs when the photons reach two different, spatially separated, 2-by-2 couplers at the same time.”

Cool!

http://arxivblog.com/?p=365
http://arxiv.org/abs/0709.0847
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if photons had the ability to observe the world, since they move at the speed of light, everything would be a singularity, since 'time' to them is nonexistant? Ie space to them is nonexistant because they can 'move' instantaneously from point A to point B, according to their own observations, which obviously conflicts with ours.

So is it so unpredictable to observe photons interfering with each other, when the only separation is space which to them doesn't exist in the first place?

If my rambling makes no sense whatsoever, I apologize... I'm only 16, not an expert.
 
  • #3
Chronosphere said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if photons had the ability to observe the world, since they move at the speed of light, everything would be a singularity, since 'time' to them is nonexistant? Ie space to them is nonexistant because they can 'move' instantaneously from point A to point B, according to their own observations, which obviously conflicts with ours.

So is it so unpredictable to observe photons interfering with each other, when the only separation is space which to them doesn't exist in the first place?

If my rambling makes no sense whatsoever, I apologize... I'm only 16, not an expert.

You need to read through the Relativity forum here to see the validity of your transformation into the photon reference frame.

Zz.
 
  • #4
Does this destroy Bohmian mechanics?
 
  • #5
This is somewhat similar to a suggestion I had which was to arrange a hundred double slits and send one photon through at a time and see if an interference pattern emerged when the 100 images were superimposed. Not a very practical experiment but this tests the same idea, and confirms once agan that the QM predictions are right.
 
  • #6
Hey guys, My name is Raj, I'm actually a student @ toshiba and Anthony Bennett and Andrew Shields are my supervisors. We have a couple of papers soon to be published in APL and PRL ( see http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.3700 and http://arxiv.org/abs/0804.1897)

The experiment that anthony performed was first carried out using photons from parametric downconversion by Franson (John Hopkins). When we talk-about two-photon interference we're not talking about a "physical" interference but rather cancellation of probability amplitudes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #7
peter0302 said:
This is somewhat similar to a suggestion I had which was to arrange a hundred double slits and send one photon through at a time and see if an interference pattern emerged when the 100 images were superimposed. Not a very practical experiment but this tests the same idea, and confirms once agan that the QM predictions are right.
This certainly does not destroy Bohmian mechanics. Why do you think that the experiment reported by SF could destroy it?
 
  • #8
Baggio said:
Hey guys, My name is Raj, I'm actually a student @ toshiba and Anthony Bennett and Andrew Shields are my supervisors. We have a couple of papers soon to be published in APL and PRL ( see http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.3700 and http://arxiv.org/abs/0804.1897)

Thank you for posting the links Raj.

Demystifier said:
This certainly does not destroy Bohmian mechanics.


I do agree. Actually, scanning through the paper, the interference is what one would expect
from classical electromagnetics. The EM fields of both photons split in both directions and
always interfere. The actual "clicks" (the detections) are however unitary (only one click
per photon at one place) as predicted by quantum mechanics.


Regards, Hans
 
Last edited by a moderator:

FAQ: Interference between photons that never meet

What is interference between photons that never meet?

Interference between photons that never meet is a phenomenon that occurs when two or more photons interact with each other in such a way that they affect each other's behavior, even though they do not physically come into contact.

How does interference between photons that never meet happen?

This phenomenon is a result of the wave-like nature of photons. When two photons are traveling in the same direction, their waves can overlap and interfere with each other, leading to a change in their properties.

What are the consequences of interference between photons that never meet?

The consequences of this phenomenon can vary, but some notable examples include changes in the polarization or direction of the photons, as well as changes in their energy levels.

Can interference between photons that never meet be observed in everyday life?

While interference between photons that never meet can occur in certain situations, it is not typically observable in everyday life. It is more commonly studied and observed in controlled laboratory settings.

How does interference between photons that never meet impact our understanding of light and the universe?

Interference between photons that never meet is an important concept in quantum mechanics and helps us better understand the behavior of light at the subatomic level. It also has implications for our understanding of the nature of the universe and the fundamental laws of physics.

Back
Top