Induced coherence without induced emission

Abstract

An interference experiment with signal and idler photons produced by parametric down-conversion in two nonlinear crystals is described and analyzed theoretically. It is found that when the idlers for the two crystals are superposed and aligned, the idler photon from the first crystal can induce coherence between the two signals, but without inducing any additional emission. Blocking the first idler wipes out the interference. The implications for the interpretation of the quantum state vector are discussed, and this leads to the conclusion that the state reflects not only what is known, but to some extent also what is knowable in principle.