Characterization of two distant double-slits by chaotic light second-order interference

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates second-order interference of chaotic light passing through two distant double-slits, revealing new insights into biphoton coherence and enabling remote sensing without first-order imaging.

Contribution

It introduces a novel technique using second-order interference to characterize distant objects without relying on first-order imaging or interference.

Findings

Demonstrated second-order interference with chaotic light and distant double-slits.

Showed potential for remote sensing and imaging without first-order coherence.

Enhanced understanding of biphoton interference and coherence phenomena.

Abstract

We present the experimental characterization of two distant double-slit masks illuminated by chaotic light, in the absence of first-order imaging and interference. The scheme exploits second-order interference of light propagating through two indistinguishable pairs of {\it disjoint} optical paths passing through the masks of interest. The proposed technique leads to a deeper understanding of biphoton interference and coherence, and opens the way to the development of novel schemes for retrieving information on the relative position and the spatial structure of distant objects, which is of interest in remote sensing, biomedical imaging, as well as monitoring of laser ablation, when first-order imaging and interference are not feasible.