2023/03/25 by Kaige Wang, Wang, Kaige
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics) #Photonic and Optical Devices #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Random lasers and scattering media
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2303.14356
openalex publication_date 2023/03/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The interference phenomenon of light is a common but most important effect in physics. In this article, we compare and analyse the interference effects of both coherent and incoherent light; in particular, the interference of spatially incoherent light sources is described. Thermal light and a two-photon entangled source may both be regarded as incoherent sources which can generate similar second-order interference effects, but their underlying physics is quite different. First-order interference can be realized with both spatially coherent and incoherent sources in the same well-designed experimental setup, but exhibit different interference patterns; their different interference mechanisms will also be clarified.