Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Fily, Yaouen

Abstract

Quantum Mechanics is a dificult and unintuitive theory for undergraduate students to understand, but a lab in which students directly observe quantum phenomena will help students understand the theory. Utilizing a relatively simple setup it is possible to reproduce a large number of foundational single-photon experiments. The lab employs correlated photon pairs to simulate single photons. With this setup students are able to verify first-hand the existence of photons through the Hanbury Brown-Twiss experiment and the wave-like behavior of light through single-photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. I have also created informative visualizations that aid in the understanding of the counter-intuitive nature of quantum mechanics and the laboratory setup. More experiments could be added to this curriculum with relative ease highlighting other aspects of quantum mechanics.

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Extent

36 p.

Identifier

FAUHT00077

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