We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally how the diffraction and interferometric resolution limit for single-mode coherent cw laser light can be overcome by multi-photon interference. By use of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, operated in the single input and single or double output port geometries, we observe a fringe width reduction of the conventional interference pattern, predicted by the wave or single photon quantum theory, by a factor of up to $1/\sqrt{ 2N}$ through coincident detection of $N=2,3,4$ photons. Our scheme does not require squeezed or entangled light to overcome the standard quantum limit and greatly facilitates precision interferometry experiments.
Categories: quant-ph