Distinctive quantum features of electron intensity correlation interferometry

Abstract

Experiments employing intensity correlation of massive fermions, in particular electrons, are proposed that show novel quantum effects not observable by usual amplitude interferometry. The experiments permit new tests of quantum predictions concerning the wavelike properties, exchange symmetry, quantum statistics, and interaction with potentials of multiparticle fermion states. Experimental configurations considered includea) a direct fermion analogue of the optical Hanbury Brown-Twiss (HBT) experiment that manifests fermion antibunching irrespective of beam coherence properties;b) an experiment (with no quantum optical analogue) sharing features of the HBT experiment and Aharonov-Bohm effect that manifests a new quantum influence of confined magnetic flux on charged particles;c) an experiment sharing features of the HBT and Colella-Overhauser-Werner experiments that manifests a new gravity-induced quantum interference effect. In contrast to the intensity correlation of light, for which some fields (e.g. chaotic) can be analysed by either classical or quantum optics, the correlation of fermion intensities requires exclusive use of quantum theory.