Abstract We theoretically propose an efficient way to generate optical analogs of both even and odd Schrӧdinger cat states (SCSs) of large amplitude with high fidelity and reasonable generation rate. The resources consumed are a single-mode squeezed vacuum state (SMSV) and possibly a single photon or nothing. We report the generation of even (odd) SCS with amplitude 4.2 , fidelity higher than 0.99 with success probability a little more than 10 − 7 by subtraction of 30 ( 31 ) photons from SMSV by ideal photon number detection. In order to reduce the requirements for the sensitivity of photon number resolving (PNR) detector, we show the implementation of even/odd SCSs with the same characteristics with two PNR detectors resolving only 15 photons each instead of 30 . In the case of inefficient detector, SCS’s size and its fidelity can be kept close to perfect by using highly transmitting beam splitter, but at the cost of very dramatic reduction of the success probability. In order to have certain harmony between the characteristics (large amplitude, high fidelity and acceptable success probability) in the case of imperfect detection, highly transmitting beam splitters should not be used and number of the subtracted photons must be reduced to 10 11 .
We present novel theory of effective realization of large-size optical Schrödinger cat states, which play an important role for quantum communication and quantum computation in the optical domain using laser sources. The treatment is based on the α-representation in infinite Hilbert space which is the decomposition of an arbitrary quantum state in terms of displaced number states characterized by the displacement amplitude α. We find analytical form of the α-representation for both even and odd Schrödinger cat states which is essential for their generation schemes. Two schemes are proposed for generating even/odd Schrödinger cat states of large size |β| (|β| ≥ 2) with high fidelity F (F ≈ 0.99). One scheme relies on an initially offline prepared two-mode entangled state with a fixed total photon number, while the other scheme uses separable photon Fock states as the input. In both schemes, generation of the desired states is heralded by the corresponding measurement outcomes. Conditions for obtaining states useful for quantum information processing are established and success probabilities for their generation are evaluated.
We propose an efficient way to implement new family of continuous variable (CV) states of definite parity. Measurement induced CV states of definite parity states are realized after subtraction of an arbitrary number of photons from the initial single-mode squeezed vacuum (SMSV) state using a photon number resolving (PNR) detector. Optical design requires irreducible number of optical elements for implementation of the CV states of definite parity. The potential of using the CV states in optical quantum information processing can be high. As an example, we show the possibility of using a family of the CV states of definite parity for quantum engineering of optical even/odd Schrödinger cat states (SCSs). In particular, we report the possibility of implementing the CV states of definite parity that approximate even/odd SCSs of amplitude slightly greater than 4 with fidelity prevailing 0,99 after subtraction of 50,51 photons from original SMSV. The success probability being the third key parameter of the optical design, decreases with an increase in the number of photons, but generally remains at an acceptable level for further use in quantum information processing in the case of a small number of subtracted photons.
Optical Schrödinger cat states are non-Gaussian states with applications in quantum technologies, such as for building error-correcting states in quantum computing. Yet the efficient generation of high-fidelity optical Schrödinger cat states is an outstanding problem in quantum optics. Here, we propose using squeezed superpositions of zero and two photons,
∣θ⟩=cos(θ/2)∣0⟩+sin(θ/2)∣2⟩, as ingredients for protocols to efficiently generate high-fidelity cat states. We present a protocol using linear optics with success probability
P≳50% that can generate cat states of size
∣α∣2=5 with fidelity
F>0.99. The protocol relies only on detecting single photons and is remarkably tolerant of loss, with
2% detection loss still achieving
F>0.98 for cats with
∣α∣2=5. We also show that squeezed
θ states are ideal candidates for nonlinear photon subtraction using a two-level system with near deterministic success probability and fidelity
F>0.98 for cat states of size
∣α∣2=5. Schemes for generating
θ states using quantum emitters are also presented. Our protocols can be implemented with current state-of-the-art quantum optics experiments.
We present an algorithm of quantum engineering of large-amplitude [Formula: see text] high-fidelity [Formula: see text] even/odd Schrödinger cat states (SCSs) using a single mode squeezed vacuum (SMSV) state as resource. Set of [Formula: see text] beam splitters (BSs) with arbitrary transmittance and reflectance coefficients sequentially following each other acts as a hub that redirects a multiphoton state into the measuring modes simultaneously measured by photon number resolving (PNR) detectors. We show that the multiphoton state splitting guarantees significant increase of the success probability of the SCSs generator compared to its implementation in a single PNR detector version and imposes less requirements on ideal PNR detectors. We prove that the fidelity of the output SCSs and its success probability are in conflict with each other (which can be quantified) in a scheme with ineffective PNR detectors, especially when subtracting large (say, [Formula: see text]) number of photons, i.e., increasing the fidelity to perfect values leads to a sharp decrease in the success probability. In general, the strategy of subtracting up to [Formula: see text] photons from initial SMSV in setup with two BSs is acceptable for achieving sufficiently high values of the fidelity and success probability at the output of the generator of the SCSs of amplitude [Formula: see text] with two inefficient PNR detectors.
Abstract Generation of the states with fidelity as close as possible to high-amplitude Schrödinger cat states (SCSs) is studied. The input state in the main mode is exclusively mixed with the Fock states on successive beam splitters after which a number of auxiliary modes emerge. Subsequently, all the modes are properly displaced. The resulting state is projected onto the vacuum states of every auxiliary mode for conditional generation of the target states in the main mode. We demonstrate a possibility to generate Schrödinger cat qudits (SCQs) which may approximate SCSs of large size β ranging from β = 2 to β = 3 with high fidelity close to 0.99 . The method is based on the use of the concept of SCQs being the best approximation of the SCSs in the finite Hilbert space with basic displaced number states characterized by the displacement amplitude α . Different states (e.g. number state or coherent state or superposed state) are selected as the input to the optical scheme. In particular, we show that an input Schrödinger kitten state (i.e. small-size SCS) can give rise to an output SCS of larger size. We also test the proposed approach in a realistic scenario.