Double-slit interference of single twisted photons

Wen Rong Qi, Rui Liu, Ling Jun Kong, Zhou Xiang Wang, Shuang Yin Huang, Chenghou Tu, Yongnan Li*, Hui Tian Wang*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a special property of photons and has evoked research onto the light-matter interaction in both classical and quantum regimes. In classical optics, OAM is related to an optical vortex with a helical phase structure. In quantum optics, photons with a twisted or helical phase structure will carry a quantized OAM. To our knowledge, however, so far, no experiment has demonstrated the fundamental property of the OAM at the single-photon level. In this Letter, we have demonstrated the average photon trajectories of twisted photons in a double-slit interference. We have experimentally captured the double-slit interference process of twisted photons by a time-gated intensified charge-coupled device camera, which is trigged by a heralded detection. Our work provides new perspectives for understanding the micro-behaviors of twisted particles and enables new applications in imaging and sensing.

Original languageEnglish
Article number102601
JournalChinese Optics Letters
Volume18
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Oct 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Double-slit interference
  • Helical phase
  • Orbital angular momentum
  • Twisted photons

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Qi, W. R., Liu, R., Kong, L. J., Wang, Z. X., Huang, S. Y., Tu, C., Li, Y., & Wang, H. T. (2020). Double-slit interference of single twisted photons. Chinese Optics Letters, 18(10), Article 102601. https://doi.org/10.3788/COL202018.102601