On single-photon and classical interference

TL;DR

This paper explores why single-photon interference experiments resemble classical interference, discussing the underlying reasons and limitations of this similarity to clarify the connection between quantum and classical optics.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of the reasons behind the similarity between single-photon and classical interference, highlighting the limitations of this analogy.

Findings

Single-photon interference mimics classical interference under certain conditions.

The similarity has fundamental reasons rooted in the nature of quantum and classical fields.

Limitations of the analogy are discussed, emphasizing differences in underlying physics.

Abstract

It has often been remarked that single-photon interference experiments, however complicated, seem to behave very much in the same way as those performed in the classical regime, using the field generated by a laser. This observation has the status of being `well-known to those who know it', but perhaps mysterious to others. We discuss the reasons underlying the similarity and also some of the limitations of this simple idea.