Anomalous dip observed in intensity autocorrelation function as an inherent nature of single-photon emitters

Abstract

We report the observation of an anomalous antibunching dip in intensity autocorrelation function with photon correlation measurements on a single-photon emitter (SPE). We show that the anomalous dip observed is a manifestation of quantum nature of SPEs. Taking population dynamics in a quantum two-level system into account correctly, we redefine intensity autocorrelation function. This is of primary importance for precisely evaluating the lowest-level probability of multiphoton generation in SPEs toward realizing versatile pure SPEs for quantum information and communication.