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PUBLICATIONS

Experimental Bounds on Classical Random Field Theories

Published

Author(s)

Joffrey K. Peters, Sergey V. Polyakov, Jingyun Fan, Alan L. Migdall

Abstract

Alternative theories to quantum mechanics motivate important fundamental tests of our understanding and description of the smallest physical systems. Here we place experimental limits on those classical field theories which result in power-dependent normalized correlation functions. In addition, we compare our results with standard quantum mechanical interpretations of our spontaneous parametric downconversion source over an order of magnitude in intensity. Our data match the quantum mechanical expectations, and do not show a staistically significant dependence on power, setting a limit on quantum mechanics alternatives which require power- dependent autocorrelation functions.
Citation
Foundations of Physics
Pub Type
Journals

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DOI Link

Keywords

Classical Random Field Theory, Quantum mechanics, Foundations of physics, Single-photon source, Single-photon detector, Parametric downconversion
Electromagnetics, Sensors, Statistical analysis, Physics, Optical physics and communications and Quantum information science

Citation

Peters, J. , Polyakov, S. , Fan, J. and Migdall, A. (2014), Experimental Bounds on Classical Random Field Theories, Foundations of Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-014-9857-2 (Accessed October 28, 2025)

Issues

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Created December 10, 2014, Updated November 10, 2018
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