English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

We investigate how the temporal coherence interference properties of light ina Michelson-Morley interferometer (MMI), using only a single-photon detector,can be understood in a quantum-optics framework in a straightforward andpedagogical manner. For this purpose we make use of elementary quantum fieldtheory and Glaubers theory for photon detection in order to calculate theexpected interference pattern in the MMI. If a thermal reference source is usedin the MMI local oscillator port in combination with a thermal source in thesignal port, the interference pattern revealed by such an intensity measurementshows a distinctive dependence on the differences in the temperature of the twosources. The MMI can therefore be used in order to perform temperaturemeasurements. A related method was actually used to carry out high precisionmeasurements of the cosmic micro-wave background radiation on board of the COBEsatellite. The theoretical framework allows us to consider any initial quantumstate. The interference of single photons as a tool to determine the angularpeak-frequency of a one-photon pulse interfering with a single-photon referencepulse is, e.g., considered. A similar consideration for coherent laser pulsesleads to a different response in the detector. The MMI experimental setup istherefore in a sense an example of an optical device where one can exhibit thedifference between classical and quantum-mechanical light using only intensitymeasurements.

Interference of Light in Michelson-Morley Interferometer: A Quantum Optical Approach