Detector-Agnostic Phase-Space Distributions

J. Sperling, D. S. Phillips, J. F. F Bulmer, G. S. Thekkadath, A. Eckstein, T. A. W. Wolterink, J. Lugani, S. W. Nam, A. Lita, T. Gerrits, W. Vogel, G. S. Agarwal, C. Silberhorn, and I. A. Walmsley
Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 013605 – Published 9 January 2020
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Abstract

The representation of quantum states via phase-space functions constitutes an intuitive technique to characterize light. However, the reconstruction of such distributions is challenging as it demands specific types of detectors and detailed models thereof to account for their particular properties and imperfections. To overcome these obstacles, we derive and implement a measurement scheme that enables a reconstruction of phase-space distributions for arbitrary states whose functionality does not depend on the knowledge of the detectors, thus defining the notion of detector-agnostic phase-space distributions. Our theory presents a generalization of well-known phase-space quasiprobability distributions, such as the Wigner function. We implement our measurement protocol, using state-of-the-art transition-edge sensors without performing a detector characterization. Based on our approach, we reveal the characteristic features of heralded single- and two-photon states in phase space and certify their nonclassicality with high statistical significance.

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  • Received 28 April 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.013605

© 2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

J. Sperling1,*, D. S. Phillips2, J. F. F Bulmer2, G. S. Thekkadath2, A. Eckstein2, T. A. W. Wolterink2, J. Lugani2, S. W. Nam3, A. Lita3, T. Gerrits3, W. Vogel4, G. S. Agarwal5, C. Silberhorn1, and I. A. Walmsley2

  • 1Integrated Quantum Optics Group, Applied Physics, University of Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
  • 2Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
  • 3National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA
  • 4Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 23, D-18059 Rostock, Germany
  • 5Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA

  • *jan.sperling@uni-paderborn.de

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Issue

Vol. 124, Iss. 1 — 10 January 2020

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