Home▸Quantum Physics▸Electro-Optic Phase Shifter: Pockels Cell in a Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

Electro-Optic Phase Shifter: Pockels Cell in a Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

Drive a real Pockels-cell electro-optic phase shifter inside a Mach–Zehnder interferometer: dial the crystal voltage, watch the induced phase shift steer single-photon clicks between two detectors, and see the measured click ratio converge on the cos²(φ/2) interference law.

Quantum Physics3DAdvanced60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted

This simulator drives a real Pockels-cell electro-optic phase shifter — the linear electro-optic effect used in every practical quantum phase shifter — sitting in one arm of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. Dial the crystal drive voltage and its half-wave voltage V_π and watch the induced phase φ = πV/V_π steer single photons between two detectors: faint superposed pulses travel both arms simultaneously, and only at the recombining beamsplitter does each photon collapse into a click at D0 or D1, with live counts converging on the cos²(φ/2) / sin²(φ/2) interference law.

⚙ Under the hood

Drive a real Pockels-cell electro-optic phase shifter inside a Mach–Zehnder interferometer: dial the crystal voltage and watch single-photon clicks steer between two detectors as the measured click ratio converges on the cos²(φ/2) interference law.

Three.jsPockels effectphase shifterMach-Zehnder interferometerquantum opticselectro-optic modulator

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install