Back to basics: Time-tagging single photons

Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de Nice, France

^* e-mail : olivier.alibart@inphyni.cnrs.fr

Abstract

The analysis of time correlations between photons is the essence of quantum information processing protocols (communication, metrology and computing) presented in this special issue. These correlation measures are derived from fundamental quantum optical techniques formalised by R. Glauber in 1963 [Phys. Rev. 130, 2529] which enable the properties of electromagnetic fields to be measured, i.e. their fluctuations and signatures to be detected in a noisy signal. More generally, those fluctuations are the result of high order interferences and are, in certain cases, directly linked to the "traditional" coherence of the optical fields.