Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1505.06089 · Physical Review A

Unified nonclassicality criteria

S. Ryl, Jan Sperling, Elizabeth Agudelo, Martin Mráz, S. Köhnke, Boris Hage, W. Vogel

Published Jul 16, 2015• 53 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this work we generalize the Bochner criterion addressing the characteristic function, i.e., the Fourier transform, of the Glauber-Sudarshan phase-space function. For this purpose we extend the Bochner theorem by including derivatives of the characteristic function. The resulting necessary and sufficient nonclassicality criteria unify previously known moment-based criteria with those based on the characteristic function. For applications of the generalized nonclassicality probes, we provide direct sampling formulas for balanced homodyne detection. A squeezed vacuum state is experimentally realized and characterized with our method. This complete framework---theoretical unification, sampling approach, and experimental implementation---presents an efficient toolbox to characterize quantum states of light for applications in quantum technology.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.92.011801

Related papers

Quantifying nonclassicality by characteristic functions

S. Ryl, Jan Sperling, W. Vogel

In this paper, we use the characteristic function, i.e., the Fourier transform of the Glauber-Sudarshan phase-space distribution, to determine the degree of nonclassicality of a given state. This degree of nonclassicality quantifies the nonclassicality in terms of quantum superpositions. We demonstrate two ways to exactly find or to lower-bound the degree of nonclassicality by studying the properties of the characteristic functions. The developed criteria are applied to two examples of squeezed states undergoing a classical mixing or a nonclassical superposition with vacuum.

arXiv:1702.00213•Physical Review A•May 9, 2017•30 citations

Balanced homodyne detection with on-off detector systems: Observable nonclassicality criteria

Jan Sperling, W. Vogel, G. S. Agarwal

Driven by single photon detection requirements, the theory of arrays of off-on detectors has been developed and applied. However, for a comprehensive characterization of nonclassicality, one also needs phase sensitive properties. This missing link is introduced with the derived theory of phase sensitive click counting measurements. It unifies the balanced homodyne detection for high intensities with the click detection in the few-photon regime. We formulate a hierarchy of nonlinear squeezing conditions to probe quantum effects beyond standard squeezing. Imperfections stemming from fluctuations, detector efficiency, and dark count rates are considered. Experimentally accessible sampling formulas are given. Our theory paves the way towards novel applications of light in quantum metrology.

arXiv:1410.8012•Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Feb 1, 2015•14 citations

Gaussian versus Non-Gaussian Filtering of Phase-Insensitive Nonclassicality

B. Kühn, W. Vogel, Valérian Thiel +2 more

Measures of quantum properties are essential to understanding the fundamental differences between quantum and classical systems as well as quantifying resources for quantum technologies. Here, two broad classes of bosonic phase-space functions, which are filtered versions of the Glauber-Sudarshan P function, are compared with regard to their ability to uncover nonclassical effects of light through their negativities. Gaussian filtering of the P function yields the family of s-parametrized quasiprobabilities, while more powerful regularized nonclassicality quasiprobabilities are obtained by non-Gaussian filtering. A method is proposed to directly sample such phase-space functions for the restricted case of phase-independent quantum states from balanced homodyne measurements. This overcomes difficulties of previous approaches that manually append uniformly distributed optical phases to the measured quadrature data. We experimentally demonstrate this technique for heralded single- and two-photon states using balanced homodyne detection with varying efficiency. The s-parametrized quasiprobabilities, which can be directly sampled, are non-negative for detection efficiencies below 0.5. By contrast, we show that significant negativities of non-Gaussian filtered quasiprobabilities uncover nonclassical effects for arbitrarily low efficiencies.

arXiv:2010.02173•Physical Review Letters•Apr 30, 2021•8 citations

Local-oscillator-agnostic squeezing detection

Suchitra Krishnaswamy, Dhrithi Maria, Laura Ares +3 more

We address the problem of measuring nonclassicality in continuous-variable bosonic systems without having access to a known reference signal. To this end, we construct broader classes of criteria for nonclassicality which allow us to investigate quantum phenomena regardless of the quantumness of selected subsystems. Such witnesses are based on the notion of partial normal ordering. This approach is applied to balanced homodyne detection using arbitrary, potentially nonclassical local oscillator states, yet only revealing the probed signal's quantumness. Our framework is compared to standard techniques, and the robustness and advanced sensitivity of our approach is shown. Therefore, a widely applicable framework, well-suited for applications in quantum metrology and quantum information, is derived to assess the quantum features of a photonic system when a well-defined coherent laser as a reference state is not available in the physical domain under study.

quant-pharXiv:2601.22291•Feb 2, 2026•0 citations

Visualizing nonclassical effects in phase space

B. Kühn, W. Vogel

Nonclassicality filters provide a universal method to visualize the nonclassicality of arbitrary quantum states of light through negativities of a regularized Glauber-Sudarshan $P$ function, also denoted as nonclassicality quasiprobability. Such filters are introduced and analyzed for optimizing the experimental certification of nonclassical effects. An analytic filter is constructed which preserves the full information on the quantum state. For balanced homodyne detection, the number of data points is analyzed to get the negativities of the nonclassicality quasiprobability with high statistical significance. The method is applied to different scenarios, such as phase-randomized squeezed vacuum states, single-photon-added thermal states, and heralded state engineering with array detectors. The generalization to visualize quantum correlations of multimode radiation fields is also considered.

arXiv:1407.5768•Physical Review A•Sep 15, 2014•17 citations

Nonclassicality criteria: Quasiprobability distributions and correlation functions

Moorad Alexanian

We use the exact calculation of the quantum mechanical, temporal characteristic function $\ensuremath{\chi}(\ensuremath{\eta})$ and the degree of second-order coherence ${g}^{(2)}(\ensuremath{\tau})$ for a single-mode, degenerate parametric amplifier for a system in the Gaussian state, viz., a displaced-squeezed thermal state, to study the different criteria for nonclassicality. In particular, we contrast criteria that involve only one-time functions of the dynamical system, for instance, the quasiprobability distribution $P(\ensuremath{\beta})$ of the Glauber-Sudarshan coherent or P representation of the density of state and the Mandel ${Q}_{M}(\ensuremath{\tau})$ parameter, versus the criteria associated with the two-time correlation function ${g}^{(2)}(\ensuremath{\tau})$.

arXiv:1610.08829•Physical Review A•Oct 20, 2016•5 citations
In this work we generalize the Bochner criterion addressing the characteristic function, i.e., the Fourier transform, of the Glauber-Sudarshan phase-space function. For this purpose we extend the Bochner theorem by including derivatives of the characteristic function. The resulting necessary and sufficient nonclassicality criteria unify previously known moment-based criteria with those based on the characteristic function. For applications of the generalized nonclassicality probes, we provide direct sampling formulas for balanced homodyne detection. A squeezed vacuum state is experimentally realized and characterized with our method. This complete framework---theoretical unification, sampling approach, and experimental implementation---presents an efficient toolbox to characterize quantum states of light for applications in quantum technology.
In this paper, we use the characteristic function, i.e., the Fourier transform of the Glauber-Sudarshan phase-space distribution, to determine the degree of nonclassicality of a given state. This degree of nonclassicality quantifies the nonclassicality in terms of quantum superpositions. We demonstrate two ways to exactly find or to lower-bound the degree of nonclassicality by studying the properties of the characteristic functions. The developed criteria are applied to two examples of squeezed states undergoing a classical mixing or a nonclassical superposition with vacuum.
Driven by single photon detection requirements, the theory of arrays of off-on detectors has been developed and applied. However, for a comprehensive characterization of nonclassicality, one also needs phase sensitive properties. This missing link is introduced with the derived theory of phase sensitive click counting measurements. It unifies the balanced homodyne detection for high intensities with the click detection in the few-photon regime. We formulate a hierarchy of nonlinear squeezing conditions to probe quantum effects beyond standard squeezing. Imperfections stemming from fluctuations, detector efficiency, and dark count rates are considered. Experimentally accessible sampling formulas are given. Our theory paves the way towards novel applications of light in quantum metrology.
Measures of quantum properties are essential to understanding the fundamental differences between quantum and classical systems as well as quantifying resources for quantum technologies. Here, two broad classes of bosonic phase-space functions, which are filtered versions of the Glauber-Sudarshan P function, are compared with regard to their ability to uncover nonclassical effects of light through their negativities. Gaussian filtering of the P function yields the family of s-parametrized quasiprobabilities, while more powerful regularized nonclassicality quasiprobabilities are obtained by non-Gaussian filtering. A method is proposed to directly sample such phase-space functions for the restricted case of phase-independent quantum states from balanced homodyne measurements. This overcomes difficulties of previous approaches that manually append uniformly distributed optical phases to the measured quadrature data. We experimentally demonstrate this technique for heralded single- and two-photon states using balanced homodyne detection with varying efficiency. The s-parametrized quasiprobabilities, which can be directly sampled, are non-negative for detection efficiencies below 0.5. By contrast, we show that significant negativities of non-Gaussian filtered quasiprobabilities uncover nonclassical effects for arbitrarily low efficiencies.
We address the problem of measuring nonclassicality in continuous-variable bosonic systems without having access to a known reference signal. To this end, we construct broader classes of criteria for nonclassicality which allow us to investigate quantum phenomena regardless of the quantumness of selected subsystems. Such witnesses are based on the notion of partial normal ordering. This approach is applied to balanced homodyne detection using arbitrary, potentially nonclassical local oscillator states, yet only revealing the probed signal's quantumness. Our framework is compared to standard techniques, and the robustness and advanced sensitivity of our approach is shown. Therefore, a widely applicable framework, well-suited for applications in quantum metrology and quantum information, is derived to assess the quantum features of a photonic system when a well-defined coherent laser as a reference state is not available in the physical domain under study.
Nonclassicality filters provide a universal method to visualize the nonclassicality of arbitrary quantum states of light through negativities of a regularized Glauber-Sudarshan PPP function, also denoted as nonclassicality quasiprobability. Such filters are introduced and analyzed for optimizing the experimental certification of nonclassical effects. An analytic filter is constructed which preserves the full information on the quantum state. For balanced homodyne detection, the number of data points is analyzed to get the negativities of the nonclassicality quasiprobability with high statistical significance. The method is applied to different scenarios, such as phase-randomized squeezed vacuum states, single-photon-added thermal states, and heralded state engineering with array detectors. The generalization to visualize quantum correlations of multimode radiation fields is also considered.
We use the exact calculation of the quantum mechanical, temporal characteristic function $\ensuremath{\chi}(\ensuremath{\eta})$ and the degree of second-order coherence ${g}^{(2)}(\ensuremath{\tau})$ for a single-mode, degenerate parametric amplifier for a system in the Gaussian state, viz., a displaced-squeezed thermal state, to study the different criteria for nonclassicality. In particular, we contrast criteria that involve only one-time functions of the dynamical system, for instance, the quasiprobability distribution $P(\ensuremath{\beta})$ of the Glauber-Sudarshan coherent or P representation of the density of state and the Mandel ${Q}_{M}(\ensuremath{\tau})$ parameter, versus the criteria associated with the two-time correlation function ${g}^{(2)}(\ensuremath{\tau})$.