title: Thermal photon statistics in spontaneous parametric downconversion.
abstract: We investigate photon statistics in the signal beam generated by frequency nondegenerate parametric downconversion both with and without a seed field along the idler direction. The experiments are performed on the signal generated in beta-barium borate by a traveling-wave pump pulse that is the frequency-tripled output of an amplified Nd:YLF picosecond laser. The high powers obtained allow us to measure the number of photons with a simple detection technique. When both signal and idler fields are initially in their vacuum states, the generated fields are mixtures of equally occupied modes with thermal photon-number statistics.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paleari
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zambra
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bondani