Two-photon interference in the presence of absorption

Experiments on two-photon interference are discussed in the case when there is absorption of all the modes participating in the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) of light. The objects of investigation are 10- to 80-Angstrom-thick ultrathin gold films deposited on fused-silica substrates. Conditions are determined under which the effect of absorption of the signal and pump waves on the interference pattern is small. It is shown that, under these conditions, the visibility of the interference pattern and the shape of the frequency-angular spectrum at the signal frequency are determined by the optical parameters of the medium at the idler frequency, which belongs to the near-infrared region. (C) 2004 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".