Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2015) 130: 173
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2015-15173-6

Regular Article

Wave-packet analysis of single-slit ghost diffraction

¹ Centre for Theoretical Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
² Department of Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

^* e-mail: tabish@ctp-jamia.res.in

Received: 22 May 2015
Revised: 3 July 2015
Accepted: 24 July 2015
Published online: 26 August 2015

Abstract

We show that single-slit two-photon ghost diffraction can be explained very simply by using a wave-packet evolution of a generalised EPR state. Diffraction of a wave travelling in the x-direction can be described in terms of the spreading in time of the transverse (z -direction) wave-packet, within the Fresnel approximation. The slit is assumed to truncate the transverse part of the wave function of the photon to within the width of the slit. The analysis reproduces all features of the two-photon single-slit ghost diffraction.