Hanbury Brown and Twiss: correlation between photons in coherent beams of light

What changed

Observed correlated detector-output intensity fluctuations from two beams of light and connected them to optical intensity interferometry.

Scientific scope

The record is the exact two-author 1956 laboratory report. It does not absorb the earlier stellar-intensity-interferometer proposal, Glauber's later coherence theory, or all subsequent HBT applications.

Evidence

The linked sources identify this contribution and its scope. WRS has not independently reconstructed the scientific claims. The record is the exact two-author 1956 laboratory report. It does not absorb the earlier stellar-intensity-interferometer proposal, Glauber's later coherence theory, or all subsequent HBT applications.

Contributors

• R. Hanbury Brown · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
• R. Q. Twiss · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.

• Nature record for photon correlations

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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