Bunching Effect and Quantum Statistics of Partially Indistinguishable Photons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how partial indistinguishability affects photon quantum statistics, introducing a modified Bose-Einstein model and analyzing the transition between different statistical regimes.

Contribution

It defines multi-photon indistinguishability, formulates a photon bunching coefficient, and presents a modified Bose-Einstein statistics accounting for partial indistinguishability.

Findings

Photon bunching coefficient formulated based on permutation symmetry

Modified Bose-Einstein statistics incorporating partial indistinguishability

Indistinguishability plays a role similar to laser generation

Abstract

The quantum statistics of particles is determined by both the spins and the indistinguishability of quantum states. Here we studied the quantum statistics of partially distinguishable photons by defining the multi-photon indistinguishability. The photon bunching co-efficient was formulated based on the properties of permutation symmetry, and a modified Bose--Einstein statistics was presented with an indistinguishability induced photon bunching effect. Moreover, the statistical transition of the photon state was studied for partially distinguishable photons, and the results shows the that indistinguishability exhibits the same role as that observed in the generation of laser. The results will fill the gap between Bose--Einstein and Poisson statistics for photons, and a formula is presented for the study of multi-photon quantum information processes.