Role of the Photon Field Commutator in the Quantum Theory of Intensity Correlations

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Abstract
Correlations between the outputs of two photodetectors illuminated by arbitrary radiation fields are discussed in terms of quantum field theory. Emphasis is placed on evaluating contributions to the mean correlation which originate in the nonzero commutators of the photon field and are within the frequency response of common detectors. The model for a photodetector, which is applicable to detectors with semiconductors or metals as sensitive elements, is described in terms of the one-electron approximation of the band theory of solids. Time-dependent perturbation theory utilizing methods of scattering theory is used to obtain the lowest-order contribution to the mean detector current and mean cross correlation. In contrast to previous discussions, contributions to the mean correlation which are fourth-order in the field-detector coupling and originate in the quantum nature of the photon field are shown to be exactly zero under reasonable assumptions about the physical properties of the detectors.

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