Double-Slit Experiment and Michelson Interferometer

[exmarine]

If, in the double-slit experiment, individual photons only interfere with themselves, as apparently happens when the stream of photons is slowed down to "one at a time", does the same rule or phenomenon apply to the various Michelson interferometer experiments?

I think it was in Dirac’s writing that I first noticed the assertion or statement that single photons only interfere with themselves in the double-slit experiment. And I am not sure exactly how much time must elapse between photons to qualify for the "one at a time" condition.

But if we accept this, then how can one get an interference pattern in a Michelson interferometer, where the orthogonal arms are probably not the same length to within a wavelength of the light? In particular, the two arm lengths are deliberately and significantly different in the Kennedy-Thorndike experiment.

Any illumination on this subject is appreciated.

BB

 

[Bill_K]

Interference works the same whether you use a Michelson interferometer or a double slit. If the arms are unequal length, you'd better not time the photon arrivals, for this would reveal which path the photon took and destroy the interference pattern.