Truncated Photon
Abstract
An elementary particle such as a photon cannot be cut in two pieces. Still it must be possible to truncate a photon with an optical shutter. The result is neither another photon nor a mix of a photon and a vacuum. Instead it is a superposition and mix of photon numbers up to infinity. This state is rather complicated, but nevertheless locally equivalent to a single photon or vacuum to the left and right, respectively, of a narrow transition region.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Near-Field Optical Microscopy
Quantum optics and atomic interactions
Quantum Information and Cryptography
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Letters
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 137
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 033601–033601
- Publication date
- 18 May 2026
- Language
- EN