Hi-Q resonator and photon pair

[Swamp Thing]

I am trying to "perform" a thought experiment suggested in http://arxiv.org/ftp/quant-ph/papers/0206/0206190.pdf

(Not that I personally have anything against non-locality Some of my best friends are non-local.)

A source generates a single, narrow gated pulse of light containing one photon pair.
One photon (say the left hand side) is directed at a very high-Q cavity, while the other heads away towards the right.

Since the bandwidth of the cavity is much narrower than the frequency spread of the light pulse, can one expect that most runs of the experiment would show the left photon just bouncing off or passing through the cavity, to be absorbed in the lab walls?

And once in many many experiments, the left photon would linger in the cavity, bouncing back and forth hundreds ot times, while the right photon traveled on its way ? No?

What are the possible ways this could pan out from this point onward?

Would there be something like a "half life" for the excited state of the cavity, after which it would be more and more likely to spit out the bouncing photon?

Does it matter whether the right detector is near or far? Are the photons still entangled?
Is it possible that both photons would end up in the right-hand side detector, being that they are bosons, and the cavity is (presumably) symmetrical in terms of reflectivity?

What if we sent in more photons before the first one was likely to leave the cavity?

 

[eljose79]

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in performing this thought experiment! It is always exciting to explore the possibilities of non-locality and quantum mechanics.

To answer your first question, yes, it is possible that the left photon would just pass through the cavity without being absorbed. This is because the probability of absorption in the cavity is dependent on the coupling strength between the photon and the cavity, as well as the lifetime of the cavity state. If the coupling strength is weak and the lifetime is long, the left photon is more likely to pass through without being absorbed.

In the scenario where the left photon does get absorbed in the cavity, it is possible that the right photon would continue on its path without any interaction. However, there is also a possibility that the two photons become entangled due to the absorption event. This entanglement would result in a correlated behavior between the two photons, even if they are physically separated.

As for the "half life" of the excited state of the cavity, this is a complex question and would depend on the specific details of the experiment. In general, the longer the lifetime of the cavity state, the more likely it is for the left photon to get absorbed and for the entanglement to occur.

The distance between the right detector and the cavity would not affect the entanglement between the two photons. As long as the two photons are created from the same source and have interacted in some way, they will remain entangled regardless of their physical separation.

In terms of sending in more photons before the first one leaves the cavity, this could lead to more complex and interesting interactions between the photons. For example, if the cavity is already occupied by a photon, the incoming photon could interact with it and possibly create a more complex entangled state.

In short, there are many possibilities for how this thought experiment could pan out, and it would require careful consideration of the experimental setup and conditions to accurately predict the outcomes. I hope this helps guide your exploration of non-locality and quantum mechanics. Good luck!