We propose and experimentally demonstrate a device for generating light with arbitrary classical photon-number distribution. We use programmable acousto-optical modulation to control the intensity of light within the dynamic range of more than 30 dB and inter-level transitions faster than 500 ns. We propose a universal method that allows the high-fidelity generation of user-defined photon statistics. Extremely high precision <0.001 can be reached for lower photon numbers, and faithful tail behavior can be reached for very high photon numbers. We demonstrate arbitrary statistics generation for up to 500 photons. The proposed device can produce any classical light statistics with given parameters including Poissonian, super-Poissonian, thermal, and heavy-tailed distributions like log-normal. The presented method can be used to simulate communication channels, calibrate the response of photon-number-resolving detectors, or probe physical phenomena sensitive to photon statistics.
We propose and experimentally demonstrate a device for generating light with arbitrary classical photon-number distribution. We use programmable acousto-optical modulation to control the intensity of light within the dynamic range of more than 30 dB and inter-level transitions faster than 500 ns. We propose a universal method that allows the high-fidelity generation of user-defined photon statistics. Extremely high precision <0.001 can be reached for lower photon numbers, and faithful tail behavior can be reached for very high photon numbers. We demonstrate arbitrary statistics generation for up to 500 photons. The proposed device can produce any classical light statistics with given parameters including Poissonian, super-Poissonian, thermal, and heavy-tailed distributions like log-normal. The presented method can be used to simulate communication channels, calibrate the response of photon-number-resolving detectors, or probe physical phenomena sensitive to photon statistics.
Abstract Controlling the statistical properties of light, namely the fluctuations in photon arrival, entropy and number, is essential for both classical and quantum photonics. While integrated systems provide tunable control over amplitude, phase, and wavelength, real-time modulation of photon statistics has remained a long-standing challenge. Herein, we introduce the concept and experimental realization of a photon statistics transducer: a high-extinction, broadband electro-optic device capable of deterministically shaping photon-number distributions at nanosecond timescales. Our approach employs a cascaded thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) Mach–Zehnder amplitude modulator delivering > 50 dB extinction, enabling precise suppression and release of coherent seed light from an integrated InP laser. By exploiting the interplay between seed suppression and erbium-doped fiber amplifier dynamics, we demonstrate smooth, voltage-controlled switching between Poissonian and super-Poissonian photon statistics, with second-order coherence g(2)(0) g 2 ( 0 ) tunable from 1.0 to 1.7. Complementary measurements with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors further show photon-flux control down to sub-photon levels, highlighting the potential for future operation with non-classical sources. The photon statistics transducer thus establishes statistical modulation as a new functional primitive in integrated photonics. Applications range from entropy generation and secure communication to neuromorphic and hybrid quantum-classical processing, where controlled randomness and entropy are essential resources. By enabling programmable transitions between statistical regimes using only electronic drive signals, our work lays the foundation for adaptive, entropy-aware photonic systems that bridge classical and quantum domains.
Controlling the statistical properties of light, namely the fluctuations in photon arrival, entropy and number, is essential for both classical and quantum photonics. While integrated systems provide tunable control over amplitude, phase, and wavelength, real-time modulation of photon statistics has remained a long-standing challenge. Herein, we introduce the concept and experimental realization of a photon statistics transducer: a high-extinction, broadband electro-optic device capable of deterministically shaping photon-number distributions at nanosecond timescales. Our approach employs a cascaded thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) Mach-Zehnder amplitude modulator delivering more than 50 dB extinction, enabling precise suppression and release of coherent seed light from an integrated InP laser. By exploiting the interplay between seed suppression and erbium-doped fiber amplifier dynamics, we demonstrate smooth, voltage-controlled switching between Poissonian and super-Poissonian photon statistics, with second-order coherence g2(0) tunable from 1.0 to 1.7. Complementary measurements with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors further show photon-flux control down to sub-photon levels, highlighting the potential for future operation with non-classical sources. The photon statistics transducer thus establishes statistical modulation as a new functional primitive in integrated photonics. Applications range from entropy generation and secure communication to neuromorphic and hybrid quantum-classical processing, where controlled randomness and entropy are essential resources. By enabling programmable transitions between statistical regimes using only electronic drive signals, our work lays the foundation for adaptive, entropy-aware photonic systems that bridge classical and quantum domains.
We report a measurement workflow free of systematic errors consisting of a reconfigurable photon-number-resolving detector, custom electronic circuitry, and faithful data-processing algorithm. We achieve an unprecedented accurate measurement of various photon-number distributions going beyond the number of detection channels with an average fidelity of 0.998, where the error is primarily caused by the sources themselves. Mean numbers of photons cover values up to 20 and faithful autocorrelation measurements range from g^{(2)}=6×10^{-3} to 2. We successfully detect chaotic, classical, nonclassical, non-Gaussian, and negative-Wigner-function light. Our results open new paths for optical technologies by providing full access to the photon-number information without the necessity of detector tomography.
Non-classical light sources emitting bundles of N-photons with strong correlation represent versatile resources of interdisciplinary importance with applications ranging from fundamental tests of quantum mechanics to quantum information processing. Yet, high-order correlations, gN(0),quantifying photon correlation, are still limited to hundreds. Here, we report the generation of a super-bunching light source in photonic crystal fiber with g2(0) reaching 5.86*104 and g5(0) up to 2.72*108, through measuring its photon number probability distributions. under giant g2(0) values, the super-bunching light source presents upturned-tail photon distributions and ubiquitous extreme multi-photon events, where 31 photons from a single light pulse at a mean of 1.99*10-4 photons per pulse have been determined. The probability of this extreme event has been enhanced by 10139 folds compared to a coherent laser with Poissonian distribution. By varying the power of the pumping laser, both photon number distributions and corresponding high-order correlations of this light source can be substantially tailored from Poissonian to super-bunching distributions. These phenomena are attributed to the synchronized nonlinear interactions in photonic crystal fibers pumping by bright squeezed light, and the theoretical simulations agree well with the experimental results. Our research showcases the ability to achieve non-classical light sources with giant high-order correlations and extreme multi-photon events, paving the way for high-order correlation imaging, extreme nonlinear optical effects, quantum information processing, and exploring light-matter interactions with multi-photon physics.
Abstract The nature of light sources is defined by the statistical fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. As such, the photon statistics of light sources are typically associated with distinct emitters. Here, the possibility of producing light beams with various photon statistics through the spatial modulation of coherent light is demonstrated. This is achieved by the sequential encoding of controllable Kolmogorov phase screens in a digital micromirror device. Interestingly, the flexibility of this scheme allows for the shaping of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics at different spatial positions. The performance of this scheme is assessed through the photon‐number‐resolving characterization of different families of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics. It is believed that the possibility of controlling the photon fluctuations of the light field at arbitrary spatial locations has important implications for quantum spectroscopy, sensing, and imaging.
A commonly held tenet is that lasers well above threshold emit photons in a coherent state, which follow Poissonian statistics when measured in photon number. This feature is often exploited to build quantum-based random number generators or to derive the secure key rate of quantum key distribution systems. Hence the photon number distribution of the light source can directly impact the randomness and the security distilled from such devices. Here, we propose a method based on measuring correlation functions to experimentally characterize a light source’s photon statistics and use it in the estimation of a quantum key distribution system’s key rate. This promises to be a useful tool for the certification of quantum-related technologies.