The nature of optical effects was explained by the anomaly of quantum light

The classical description of light as a wave phenomenon is rarely questioned, but the origin of some

optical effects are still not possibleexplain. Physicists from the University of Tampere have shown that quantum waves behave significantly differently than their classical counterparts. The results of the study can be used to improve the accuracy of distance measurements.

Although the physics of optical waves is considered goodstudied, it has some fundamental aspects that are still being debated. One of them is the anomalous behavior of focused light fields, scientists explain.

Gooey phase. Image: Markus Hiekkamäki et al., Natrure Photonics

A converging wave passing through a focusacquires an additional phase shift compared to a collimated beam (a stream of parallel beams) or a plane wave traveling the same distance. This effect is known as the Gouy phase.

The effect is widely used in practical optics,but its nature is not completely known. In the new work, scientists were able to show that similar effects are observed for quantum light: a system of two single photons. In this case, as the authors of the work published in the journal Nature Photonics believe, the nature of the Gouy phase is associated with an increased spread of the momentum of the N-photon state and a number of other quantum effects.

Experimental setup. Image: Markus Hiekkamäki et al., Natrure Photonics

In the quantum realm, anomalous behavioraccelerates compared to classical light. Since the Gouy phase can be used to determine the distance over which a beam of light travels, the acceleration of the Gouy quantum phase in quantum optics will improve the accuracy of measuring distances.

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