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Provazník J, Lachman L, Filip R, Marek P. Benchmarking photon number resolving detectors. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:14839-14849. [PMID: 32403518 DOI: 10.1364/oe.389619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Photon number resolving detectors are the ultimate measurement of quantum optics, which is the reason why developing the technology is getting significant attention in recent years. With this arises the question of how to evaluate the performance of the detectors. We suggest that performance of a photon number detector can be evaluated by comparing it to a multiplex of on-off detectors in a practical scenario: conditional preparation of a photon number state. Here, both the quality of the prepared state and the probability of the preparation are limited by the number of on-off detectors in the multiplex, which allows us to set benchmarks that can be achieved or surpassed by the photon number resolving detectors.
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2
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Zhang A, Xu H, Xie J, Zhang H, Smith BJ, Kim MS, Zhang L. Experimental Test of Contextuality in Quantum and Classical Systems. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:080401. [PMID: 30932576 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.080401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Contextuality is considered as an intrinsic signature of nonclassicality and a crucial resource for achieving unique advantages of quantum information processing. However, recently, there have been debates on whether classical fields may also demonstrate contextuality. Here, we experimentally configure a contextuality test for optical fields, adopting various definitions of measurement events, and analyze how the definitions affect the emergence of nonclassical correlations. The heralded single-photon state, which is a typical nonclassical light field, manifests contextuality in our setup; whereas contextuality for classical coherent fields strongly depends on the specific definition of measurement events, which is equivalent to filtering the nonclassical component of the input state. Our results highlight the importance of the definition of measurement events to demonstrate contextuality, and they link the contextual correlations to nonclassicality defined by quasiprobabilities in phase space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aonan Zhang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Huichao Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Jie Xie
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Han Zhang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Brian J Smith
- Department of Physics and Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - M S Kim
- QOLS, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, England SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 02455, Korea
| | - Lijian Zhang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
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3
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Harder G, Silberhorn C, Rehacek J, Hradil Z, Motka L, Stoklasa B, Sánchez-Soto LL. Local Sampling of the Wigner Function at Telecom Wavelength with Loss-Tolerant Detection of Photon Statistics. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 116:133601. [PMID: 27081977 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.116.133601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We report the experimental point-by-point sampling of the Wigner function for nonclassical states created in an ultrafast pulsed type-II parametric down-conversion source. We use a loss-tolerant time-multiplexed detector based on a fiber-optical setup and a pair of photon-number-resolving avalanche photodiodes. By capitalizing on an expedient data-pattern tomography, we assess the properties of the light states with outstanding accuracy. The method allows us to reliably infer the squeezing of genuine two-mode states without any phase reference.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Harder
- Department of Physics, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - Ch Silberhorn
- Department of Physics, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts, Günther-Scharowsky-Straße 1, Bau 24, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Rehacek
- Department of Optics, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Z Hradil
- Department of Optics, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - L Motka
- Department of Optics, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - B Stoklasa
- Department of Optics, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - L L Sánchez-Soto
- Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts, Günther-Scharowsky-Straße 1, Bau 24, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Departamento de Óptica, Facultad de Física, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Smith RA, Reddy DV, Vitullo DLP, Raymer MG. Double-heralded generation of two-photon-states by spontaneous four-wave-mixing in the presence of noise. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:5809-5821. [PMID: 27136778 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.005809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We present an experimental method for creating and verifying photon-number states created by non-degenerate, third-order nonlinear-optical photon-pair sources. By using spatially multiplexed, thresholding single-photon detectors and inverting a conditional probability matrix, we determine the photon-number probabilities created through heralded spontaneous four-wave-mixing. The deleterious effects of noise photons on reliable heralding are investigated and shown to degrade the conditional preparation of two-photon number states more than they degrade conditional single-photon states. We derive the equivalence between the presence of unwanted noise in the herald channel and loss in the signal channel of heralded experiments. A procedure for characterizing the noise-photon contributions, and a means of estimating the herald noise-free photon-number distribution is demonstrated.
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5
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Donati G, Bartley TJ, Jin XM, Vidrighin MD, Datta A, Barbieri M, Walmsley IA. Observing optical coherence across Fock layers with weak-field homodyne detectors. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5584. [PMID: 25427457 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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6
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Xiang GY, Hofmann HF, Pryde GJ. Optimal multi-photon phase sensing with a single interference fringe. Sci Rep 2013; 3:2684. [PMID: 24067490 PMCID: PMC3783035 DOI: 10.1038/srep02684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantum entanglement can help to increase the precision of optical phase measurements beyond the shot noise limit (SNL) to the ultimate Heisenberg limit. However, the N-photon parity measurements required to achieve this optimal sensitivity are extremely difficult to realize with current photon detection technologies, requiring high-fidelity resolution of N + 1 different photon distributions between the output ports. Recent experimental demonstrations of precision beyond the SNL have therefore used only one or two photon-number detection patterns instead of parity measurements. Here we investigate the achievable phase sensitivity of the simple and efficient single interference fringe detection technique. We show that the maximally-entangled "NOON" state does not achieve optimal phase sensitivity when N > 4, rather, we show that the Holland-Burnett state is optimal. We experimentally demonstrate this enhanced sensitivity using a single photon-counted fringe of the six-photon Holland-Burnett state. Specifically, our single-fringe six-photon measurement achieves a phase variance three times below the SNL.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Y Xiang
- 1] Centre for Quantum Dynamics and Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Griffith University, Brisbane, 4111, Australia [2] Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, CAS, Hefei 230026, China
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Harder G, Ansari V, Brecht B, Dirmeier T, Marquardt C, Silberhorn C. An optimized photon pair source for quantum circuits. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21:13975-13985. [PMID: 23787587 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.013975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We implement an ultrafast pulsed type-II parametric down conversion source in a periodically poled KTP waveguide at telecommunication wavelengths with almost identical properties between signal and idler. As such, our source resembles closely a pure, genuine single mode photon pair source with indistinguishable modes. We measure the joint spectral intensity distribution and second order correlation functions of the marginal beams and find with both methods very low effective mode numbers corresponding to a Schmidt number below 1.16. We further demonstrate the indistinguishability as well as the purity of signal and idler photons by Hong-Ou-Mandel interferences between signal and idler and between signal/idler and a coherent field, respectively. Without using narrowband spectral filtering, we achieve a visibility for the interference between signal and idler of 94.8% and determine a purity of more than 80% for the heralded single photon states. Moreover, we measure raw heralding efficiencies of 20.5% and 15.5% for the signal and idler beams corresponding to detector-loss corrected values of 80% and 70%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Harder
- Applied Physics, University of Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany.
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8
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Renema JJ, Frucci G, Zhou Z, Mattioli F, Gaggero A, Leoni R, de Dood MJA, Fiore A, van Exter MP. Modified detector tomography technique applied to a superconducting multiphoton nanodetector. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:2806-2813. [PMID: 22330516 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.002806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We present an experimental method to characterize multi-photon detectors with a small overall detection efficiency. We do this by separating the nonlinear action of the multiphoton detection event from linear losses in the detector. Such a characterization is a necessary step for quantum information protocols with single and multiphoton detectors and can provide quantitative information to understand the underlying physics of a given detector. This characterization is applied to a superconducting multiphoton nanodetector, consisting of an NbN nanowire with a bowtie-shaped subwavelength constriction. Depending on the bias current, this detector has regimes with single and multiphoton sensitivity. We present the first full experimental characterization of such a detector.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Renema
- Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands.
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9
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Practical photon number detection with electric field-modulated silicon avalanche photodiodes. Nat Commun 2012; 3:644. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
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10
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Laiho K, Cassemiro KN, Gross D, Silberhorn C. Probing the negative Wigner function of a pulsed single photon point by point. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2010; 105:253603. [PMID: 21231590 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.105.253603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We investigate quantum properties of pulsed light fields point by point in phase space. We probe the negative region of the Wigner function of a single photon generated by the means of waveguided parametric down conversion. This capability is achieved by employing loss-tolerant photon-number resolving detection, allowing us to directly observe the oscillations of the photon statistics in dependence of applied displacements in phase space. Our scheme is highly mode sensitive and can reveal the single-mode character of the signal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Laiho
- Max Planck Institute for Science of Light, Günther-Scharowsky-straße 1/Building 24, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
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11
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Laiho K, Cassemiro KN, Silberhorn C. Producing high fidelity single photons with optimal brightness via waveguided parametric down-conversion. OPTICS EXPRESS 2009; 17:22823-22837. [PMID: 20052208 DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.022823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Parametric down-conversion (PDC) offers the possibility to control the fabrication of non-Gaussian states such as Fock states. However, in conventional PDC sources energy and momentum conservation introduce strict frequency and photon number correlations, which impact the fidelity of the prepared state. In our work we optimize the preparation of single-photon Fock states from the emission of waveguided PDC via spectral filtering. We study the effect of correlations via photon number resolving detection and quantum interference. Our measurements show how the reduction of mixedness due to filtering can be evaluated. Interfering the prepared photon with a coherent state we establish an experimentally measured fidelity of the produced target state of 78%.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Laiho
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Günther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1/Building 24, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany.
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Webb JG, Huntington EH. Photostatistics reconstruction via loop detector signatures. OPTICS EXPRESS 2009; 17:11799-11812. [PMID: 19582095 DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.011799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Photon-number resolving detectors are a fundamental building-block of optical quantum information processing protocols. A loop detector, combined with appropriate statistical processing, can be used to convert a binary on/off photon counter into a photon-number-resolving detector. Here we describe the idea of a signature of photon-counts, which may be used to more robustly reconstruct the photon number distribution of a quantum state. The methodology is applied experimentally in a 9-port loop detector operating at a telecommunications wavelength and compared directly to the approach whereby only the number of photon-counts is used to reconstruct the input distribution. The signature approach is shown to be more robust against calibration errors, exhibit reduced statistical uncertainty, and reduced reliance on a-priori assumptions about the input state.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Webb
- Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University College, The University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT 2600.
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Worsley AP, Coldenstrodt-Ronge HB, Lundeen JS, Mosley PJ, Smith BJ, Puentes G, Thomas-Peter N, Walmsley IA. Absolute efficiency estimation of photon-number-resolving detectors using twin beams. OPTICS EXPRESS 2009; 17:4397-4411. [PMID: 19293867 DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.004397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
A nonclassical light source is used to demonstrate experimentally the absolute efficiency calibration of a photon-number-resolving detector. The photon-pair detector calibration method developed by Klyshko for single-photon detectors is generalized to take advantage of the higher dynamic range and additional information provided by photon-number-resolving detectors. This enables the use of brighter twin-beam sources including amplified pulse pumped sources, which increases the relevant signal and provides measurement redundancy, making the calibration more robust.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Worsley
- University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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14
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Avenhaus M, Coldenstrodt-Ronge HB, Laiho K, Mauerer W, Walmsley IA, Silberhorn C. Photon number statistics of multimode parametric down-conversion. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2008; 101:053601. [PMID: 18764391 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.101.053601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We experimentally analyze the complete photon number statistics of parametric down-conversion and ascertain the influence of multimode effects. Our results clearly reveal a difference between single-mode theoretical description and the measured distributions. Further investigations assure the applicability of loss-tolerant photon number reconstruction and prove strict photon number correlation between signal and idler modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Avenhaus
- Max-Planck Research Group, Günther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1/Bau 24, Erlangen, Germany.
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian A. Walmsley
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
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