Measuring the quantum nature of light with a single source and a single detector

摘要

An elementary experiment in optics consists of a light source and a detector. Yet, if the source generatesnnonclassical correlations such an experiment is capable of unambiguously demonstrating the quantum naturenof light. We realized such an experiment with a defect center in diamond and a superconducting detector.nPrevious experiments relied on more complex setups, such as the Hanbury Brown and Twiss configuration,nwhere a beam splitter directs light to two photodetectors, creating the false impression that the beam splitter is anfundamentally required element. As an additional benefit, our results provide a simplification of the widely usednphoton-correlation techniques.