Photon anti-bunching as necessary for BS entanglement

In summary, the conversation discusses the use of different types of light (anti-bunched, semi-bunched, and bunched) and their role in entanglement experiments. It is noted that complex setups are needed to create entangled pairs, and that using two sources of squeezed light can increase the probability of entanglement. The conversation also addresses the need for indistinguishable properties of the photons in order for entanglement to occur. References are provided for further information on the topic.
  • #1
sciencejournalist00
94
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Photon_bunching.png


The green dots represent photons in an anti-bunched state, squeezed light.

The red dots represent photons in a semi-bunched state, laser light
The blue dots represent photons in a bunched state, thermal light

The complex setups used in entanglement experiments only squeeze light in amplitude, phase, photon number and filter out squeezed light from classical light before the beam splitter can perform entanglement.

But if you are lucky, you just need two sources of squeezed light, which are usually non-linear crystals but single-photon sources will do too. Maybe in the future they will discover more ways to produce anti-bunched photons.

You also need the photons from the two input beams to be indistinguishable in polarization, frequency, arrival time. Unless you want to use an artificial device that removes these properties composed of two special detectors (not any detector!) that can erase which-path information and a phase shifter.

Do not try to contradict me this time because I have taken nothing out of context, I just found a published thesis which says the conditions for the input light to be entangled by a beam splitter

Given that laser light is a mixture of classical light and squeezed light, a beam splitter could create entanglement with a very small probability, but to increase the probability of entanglement by a large factor, you have to use purely squeezed light
 
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  • #2
The use of two single identical atoms and a beam splitter is enough to produce entangled pairs because atoms produce single-photon states, which are non-classical light squeezed in photon number.

However, if you use many photons at the same time, you must filter out the bunched photons, which is done by a non-linear crystal.

In practice, to create single photons that are indistinguishable from a laser source you need a setup with many elements to squeeze that laser light and filter out a single polarization, frequency. That is the role that the additional elements play.

In theory or fantasy, you can imagine two ideal light sources which emit identical photons, one at a time, but this kind of source DOES NOT EXIST
 
  • #3
sciencejournalist00 said:
Do not try to contradict me this time because I have taken nothing out of context, I just found a published thesis which says the conditions for the input light to be entangled by a beam splitter

Perhaps you have a reference so we could see that context. And perhaps... you have a question about it?
 
  • #4
sciencejournalist00 said:
Given that laser light is a mixture of classical light and squeezed light

Also, I'd like a reference for this bit, as that contradicts what I always thought.
 
  • #5
sciencejournalist00 said:
The use of two single identical atoms and a beam splitter is enough to produce entangled pairs

Really? I don't recall seeing a setup like that previously. I would expect a lot more to get a source of entangled pairs. Can you provide a reference on that too?
 
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  • #6
  • #7
Daz said:
Also, I'd like a reference for this bit, as that contradicts what I always thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon_antibunching

Photons are more equally spaced (more delayed in their arrival time) in squeezed light than in a laser beam, and more equally spaced in laser beam than in thermal radiation

It's about the Bose-Einstein statistics, which makes photons bunch together in pairs. These bunched pairs are filtered by nonlinear crystals
 
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  • #8
DrChinese said:
Really? I don't recall seeing a setup like that previously. I would expect a lot more to get a source of entangled pairs. Can you provide a reference on that too?

Do I have to repeat that the additional elements just squeeze light and filter it from classical light? Photons cannot be entangled unless the beams that contain them are made indistinguishable, and that is the reason filters and polarizers are used.

Single photon states are Fock states
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fock_state#Source_of_single_photon_state

Fock states are non-classical, therefore can be used as input to beam splitter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonclassical_light

Setup
http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v3/n8/abs/nphys644.html
PDF version http://iontrap.umd.edu/wp-content/u...ton-pairs-from-2-remote-trapped-ions-2007.pdf
 
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  • #9
sciencejournalist00 said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon_antibunching

Photons are more equally spaced in squeezed light than in a laser beam, and more equally spaced in laser beam than in thermal radiation

Be very, very careful when creating mental pictures like that. You can't strictly speaking talk about individual photons unless you have a Fock state. There is nothing preventing you from talking about average number of photons, but you can't really talk about "spacing" between photons in this case.
 
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  • #10
f95toli said:
Be very, very careful when creating mental pictures like that. You can't strictly speaking talk about individual photons unless you have a Fock state. There is nothing preventing you from talking about average number of photons, but you can't really talk about "spacing" between photons in this case.

It's not me but Wikipedia. Plus photon spacing means delay between their arrival times, not distance measured in meters
 
  • #11
sciencejournalist00 said:
It's not me but Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is not always correct.

Its pretty obvious, like the process of creating polarised light in a polariser, the detail of what going on in creating entangled photons, requires some rather complex solid state physics. You will not do it via some simple mental picture.

sciencejournalist00 said:

As I said, some rather complex physics.

Thanks
Bill
 
  • #12
sciencejournalist00 said:

As I have said repeatedly, you need a lot more to get entanglement. Your referenced experiment is no different. To select the entangled pairs from the entire universe, you need to have a classical signal go from one to the other. That is common for set ups such as this. It is only the pairs with very close arrival times are entangled. No way to know that until you compare information from both sides. I. E. post selection.
 
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1. What is photon anti-bunching and why is it necessary for Bell State entanglement?

Photon anti-bunching refers to the phenomenon where two photons cannot arrive at the same place at the same time. This is a necessary condition for Bell State entanglement because it ensures that only one photon is present at a time in a given location, making it easier to isolate and manipulate individual photons for entanglement purposes.

2. How does photon anti-bunching contribute to quantum cryptography?

Photon anti-bunching is a key component of quantum cryptography as it allows for the creation of entangled photon pairs, which can then be used for secure communication protocols. By using anti-bunched photons, it is possible to detect any attempts at eavesdropping on the transmission of encrypted information.

3. Can photon anti-bunching be observed in all types of light sources?

No, photon anti-bunching is a property that is only observed in light sources that emit photons one at a time, such as single-photon sources or low-intensity lasers. In other types of light sources, photons are typically emitted in a random and uncorrelated manner, making it difficult to observe anti-bunching.

4. How is photon anti-bunching measured in experiments?

Photon anti-bunching can be measured using a technique called the Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) effect, where the arrival times of photons at different detectors are compared. If there is no overlap in the arrival times, it indicates that the photons are anti-bunched. Another method is to use a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer, where two photons are sent into a beam splitter and their arrival times at the output ports are compared.

5. Are there any potential applications for photon anti-bunching outside of quantum technologies?

Yes, photon anti-bunching has also been studied for applications in areas such as fluorescence microscopy and single-molecule spectroscopy. By using anti-bunched photons, it is possible to achieve higher spatial and temporal resolution in these techniques, leading to improved imaging and analysis capabilities.

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