TY - JOUR A1 - Menzel, Ralf A1 - Puhlmann, Dirk A1 - Heuer, Axel T1 - Complementarity in single photon interference – the role of the mode function and vacuum fields JF - Journal of the European Optical Society-Rapid N2 - Background In earlier experiments the role of the vacuum fields could be demonstrated as the source of complementarity with respect to the temporal properties (Heuer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 114:053601, 2015). Methods Single photon first order interferences of spatially separated regions from the cone structure of spontaneous parametric down conversion allow for analyzing the role of the mode function in quantum optics regarding the complementarity principle. Results Here the spatial coherence properties of these vacuum fields are demonstrated as the physical reason for complementarity in these single photon quantum optical experiments. These results are directly connected to the mode picture in classical optics. Conclusion The properties of the involved vacuum fields selected via the measurement process are the physical background of the complementarity principle in quantum optics. KW - Quantum optics KW - Complementarity KW - Mode function KW - Vacuum fields Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s41476-017-0036-x SN - 1990-2573 VL - 13 PB - Springer ER - TY - GEN A1 - Menzel, Ralf A1 - Puhlmann, Dirk A1 - Heuer, Axel T1 - Complementarity in single photon interference – the role of the mode function and vacuum fields N2 - Background In earlier experiments the role of the vacuum fields could be demonstrated as the source of complementarity with respect to the temporal properties (Heuer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 114:053601, 2015). Methods Single photon first order interferences of spatially separated regions from the cone structure of spontaneous parametric down conversion allow for analyzing the role of the mode function in quantum optics regarding the complementarity principle. Results Here the spatial coherence properties of these vacuum fields are demonstrated as the physical reason for complementarity in these single photon quantum optical experiments. These results are directly connected to the mode picture in classical optics. Conclusion The properties of the involved vacuum fields selected via the measurement process are the physical background of the complementarity principle in quantum optics. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 333 KW - Complementarity KW - Mode function KW - Quantum optics KW - Vacuum fields Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-395210 ER -