Wave-particle duality of light appearing in the intensity interferometric situation

TL;DR

This paper explores the wave-particle duality of light through intensity interferometry, revealing a new nonclassical aspect where wave and particle properties coexist in a classically understandable manner, especially in second-order interference.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel wave-particle duality in intensity interference, extending the concept to higher-order cases and highlighting a gap between classical and nonclassical light.

Findings

Identifies a classical-quantum gap in intensity interference.

Extends wave-particle duality to higher-order intensity interferometry.

Reveals a new nonclassical nature of light in intensity measurements.

Abstract

We show a wave-particle duality of light and its complementary relation in the context of the intensity interference measured by intensity correlation measurement, especially for the case of the second-order intensity interference observed in the Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer. Different from the complementary relation appearing in the interference based on the phase coherence like in the Young's double-slit interferometer, the complementary relation in the intensity interference has a gap between classical and nonclassical lights. This reveals a new nonclassical nature of light where both wave and particle properties are classically understandable. We further extend the wave-particle duality and the complementarity to higher-order intensity interferometric situations.