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Coherent Backscattering of Entangled Photon Pairs

Quantum Physics 2024-06-05 v1 Optics

Abstract

Correlations between entangled photons are a key ingredient for testing fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and an invaluable resource for quantum technologies. However, scattering from a dynamic medium typically scrambles and averages out such correlations. Here we show that multiply-scattered entangled photons reflected from a dynamic complex medium remain partially correlated. We observe in experiments and in full-wave simulations enhanced correlations, within an angular range determined by the transport mean free path, which prevail disorder averaging. Theoretical analysis reveals that this enhancement arises from the interference between scattering trajectories, in which the photons leave the sample and are then virtually reinjected back into it. These paths are the quantum counterpart of the paths that lead to the coherent backscattering of classical light. This work points to opportunities for entanglement transport despite dynamic multiple scattering in complex systems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2203.09650,
  title  = {Coherent Backscattering of Entangled Photon Pairs},
  author = {Mamoon Safadi and Ohad Lib and Ho-Chun Lin and Chia Wei Hsu and Arthur Goetschy and Yaron Bromberg},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2203.09650},
  year   = {2024}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-24T10:17:46.558Z