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量子时代的光干涉现象

Optical interferometry in the quantum age

  • 摘要: 光干涉测量技术在物理学发展中扮演着至关重要的角色,广泛应用于各种物理量的精确测量和传感技术中。量子理论的发展为人们带来了以半导体芯片和激光为代表的第一次量子革命,当把量子概念和技术引入光的干涉现象中,其重要性和优点再次体现出来,成为以量子信息、量子通讯和量子传感为代表的第二次量子革命的基础。文章首先回顾了自一百多年前爱因斯坦首次提出光子图像之后,量子概念如何改变了人们对光学干涉现象的理解以及将多光子干涉与量子纠缠结合发展出量子信息科学的过程,其后进一步阐述了量子噪声对光学干涉仪测量精度的影响以及由此开发出压缩量子噪声以提高灵敏度的方法。然而,这些还都是基于两百多年前发明的光学干涉仪的硬件结构和测量方法。文章最后介绍了近期发展的一种新型量子干涉仪,它通过改变硬件结构和引入量子测量的方法,显示出其对于传统干涉仪的优势,并打破了传统干涉仪中相干时间的限制,拓宽其应用范围,在长基线高分辨天文学和激光雷达中具有潜在的应用前景。

     

    Abstract: Optical interferometry has played a crucial role in the development of physics and has been widely used in precision measurement and sensing techniques for various physical quantities. The development of quantum theory has brought about the first quantum revolution represented by semiconductor chips and lasers. The introduction of quantum concepts and technology in optical interferometry has once again revealed its merits and importance, becoming the foundation of the second quantum revolution represented by quantum information, quantum communication, and quantum sensing. This article first focuses on how quantum concepts have changed our view on optical interference since Einstein first introduced the photon picture of light more than 100 years ago. The intimate connection between multi-photon interference and quantum entanglement led to the development of quantum information. Further understanding of the effect of quantum noise in optical interferometry helps to develop quantum noise reduction technique for the enhancement of its precision. However, all these was based on the same hardware structure and measurement methods in optical interferometers since their invention about two hundred years ago. A recently implemented new type of quantum interferometer shows its advantages over traditional interferometers by changing the hardware and introducing quantum measurement techniques. It can break the coherence time limitation of traditional interferometers and promises applications in long baseline high-resolution astronomy and lidar technology.

     

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