High-visibility multi-photon interference of Hanbury Brown - Twiss type for classical light

TL;DR

This paper investigates higher-order difference-phase interference of classical light, revealing high-visibility multi-photon interference effects that could impact quantum optics and imaging technologies.

Contribution

It demonstrates that difference-phase interference maintains high visibility at higher orders, unlike sum-phase interference, and reports experimental observation of high-visibility multi-photon interference with classical light sources.

Findings

Visibility of difference-phase interference remains high at higher orders.

Experimental observation of 81.8% and 94.4% visibility for three- and four-photon interference.

High-visibility multi-photon interference observed with both coherent and pseudo-thermal light.

Abstract

Difference-phase (or Hanbury Brown - Twiss type) intensity interference of classical light is considered in higher orders in the intensity. It is shown that, while the visibility of sum-phase (NOON-type) interference for classical sources drops with the order of interference, the visibility of difference-phase interference has opposite behavior. For three-photon and four-photon interference of two coherent sources, the visibility can be as high as 81.8% and 94.4%, respectively. High-visibility three-photon and four-photon interference of space-time and polarization types has been observed in experiment, for both coherent and pseudo-thermal light.