Abstract

By considering a multimode treatment of the parametric downconversion of light,¹ in which the incident pump also consists of a bandwidth-limited pulse, it is possible to devise experiments in which the energy (frequency) and time occurrence of the parametric photons serve as the conjugate dynamical variables of an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (E-P-R) or Bell's inequality experiment. The physical connection between E-P-R and Bell’s inequality and the design of Bell’s inequality experiments with dynamical variables which have continuous spectra are reviewed along with several experiments performed to date. The realizability of experiments using frequency and time is discussed with reference to fundamental measurement resolution limitations,² as well as presently achievable experimental capabilities. This lends deeper understanding to the nature of the paradoxes and the status of these variables within quantum theory.

© 1988 Optical Society of America