Observing two-photon subwavelength interference of broadband chaotic light in polarization-selective Michelson interferometer

Abstract

Differing from the traditional method to achieve subwavelength interference, we have demonstrated the two-photon subwavelength interference effect of broadband chaotic light in polarization-selective Michelson interferometer with an ultrafast two-photon absorption detector for the first time, which is achieved by manipulating two-photon probability amplitudes involved in the interference. In theory, the two-photon polarization coherence matrix and probability amplitudes matrix are combined to develop polarized two-photon interference terms, which explains the experimental results well. In order to make better use of this interferometer to produce the subwavelength effect, we also make a series of error analyses to find out the relationship between the visibility and the degree of polarization error. Our experimental and theoretical results are helpful to understand the two-photon subwavelength interference, which sheds light on the development of the two-photon interference theory of vector light field based on quantum mechanics. These experimental results may help to develop future optical interferometry, optical polarimetry, and subwavelength lithography.