Method for observing photon delocalization. (IMAGE)

Hiroshima University

Method for observing photon delocalization.

Caption

Method for observing photon delocalization. Vertically polarized photons are injected into a two-path (BS) interferometer. HWP1 rotates the photon polarization by a small angle (+θ), and HWP2 rotates the photon polarization in the opposite direction by the same angle (-θ). Localized photons all flip with the same probability, P(H|1) = P(H|2). When interference is observed, the polarization flip probabilities P(H|±) observed in the output ports change, where lower flip probabilities indicate that the local rotations can cancel each other. The flip probabilities P(H|±) thus provide direct evidence for the delocalization of photons inside the interferometer. (Ryuya Fukuda, et al. New Journal of Physics. March 23, 2026) 

Credit

Ryuya Fukuda, et al. New Journal of Physics. March 23, 2026

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