Single photon interference between two modes originated from a single quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the interference of a single photon emitted from a quantum dot between two orthogonal polarization modes, highlighting the conditions necessary for observing quantum interference in solid-state sources.

Contribution

It reports the first observation of single-photon interference between two polarization modes from a single quantum dot, emphasizing the role of which-mode information.

Findings

Interference occurs only when which-mode information is absent.

Single photons exhibit interference between two orthogonal polarization modes.

Solid-state quantum dots can produce interference effects similar to traditional quantum optics setups.

Abstract

Interference of a single photon generated from a single quantum dot is observed between two photon polarization modes. Each emitted single photon has two orthogonal polarization modes associated with the solid-state single photon source, in which two non-degenerate neutral exciton states are involved. The interference between the two modes takes place only under the condition that the emitted photon is free from which-mode information.