A bunching parameter interferometer: Generalization of HOM effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a generalized bunching parameter and a corresponding interferometer that extends the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect, enabling continuous measurement of photon bunching behavior beyond traditional binary classifications.

Contribution

It proposes a novel bunching interferometer and a continuous bunching parameter, broadening the understanding and measurement of photon bunching phenomena.

Findings

The bunching parameter ranges continuously from bunched to unbunched photons.

The interferometer can measure the full spectrum of bunching behavior.

The HOM dip graph is generalized using the new parameter.

Abstract

Are photons either bunched or unbunched, or are these particular cases of a wider phenomenon? Here we will show that bunched and unbunched photons are indeed two extreme cases of a process parameterized by a continuous parameter, called the bunching parameter, and (mainly) we will suggest a bunching interferometer that can be used for the construction and measurement of the full range of values of the above bunching parameter. Finally, as an application of the bunching parameter, we will show how the dip graph of the HOM effect is generalized