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arXiv:2302.08717 · Optics Express

Enhanced phase sensitivity in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer via photon recycling

Dong Li, Chun-Hua Yuan, Xiaoping Ma, Qingle Wang, Hwang Lee, Yao Yao, Weiping Zhang

Published Jan 26, 2023• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We propose an alternative scheme for phase estimation in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with photon recycling. It is demonstrated that with the same coherent-state input and homodyne detection, our proposal possesses a phase sensitivity beyond the traditional MZI. For instance, it can achieve an enhancement factor of ∼9.32 in the phase sensitivity compared with the conventional scheme even with a photon loss of 10% on the photon-recycled arm. From another point of view, the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB) is also investigated. It is found that our scheme is able to achieve a lower QCRB than the traditional one. Intriguingly, the QCRB of our scheme is dependent of the phase shift ϕ while the traditional scheme has a constant QCRB regardless of the phase shift. Finally, we present the underlying mechanisms behind the enhanced phase sensitivity. We believe that our results provide another angle from which to enhance the phase sensitivity in a MZI via photon recycling.

DOI
10.1364/oe.476822

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We propose an alternative scheme for phase estimation in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with photon recycling. It is demonstrated that with the same coherent-state input and homodyne detection, our proposal possesses a phase sensitivity beyond the traditional MZI. For instance, it can achieve an enhancement factor of ∼9.32 in the phase sensitivity compared with the conventional scheme even with a photon loss of 10% on the photon-recycled arm. From another point of view, the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB) is also investigated. It is found that our scheme is able to achieve a lower QCRB than the traditional one. Intriguingly, the QCRB of our scheme is dependent of the phase shift ϕ while the traditional scheme has a constant QCRB regardless of the phase shift. Finally, we present the underlying mechanisms behind the enhanced phase sensitivity. We believe that our results provide another angle from which to enhance the phase sensitivity in a MZI via photon recycling.
Improving interferometric phase sensitivity is crucial for high-precision measurements in rapidly developing quantum technologies. The Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is a versatile tool for analyzing this phenomenon. By splitting and recombining a light beam using beam splitters, the MZI allows for precise phase sensitivity analysis using tools like the quantum Cramér–Rao bound (QCRB) and the quantum Fisher information (QFI). This paper analyzes the phase sensitivity of an MZI in various scenarios using different detection schemes and input states. We compare the single- and two-parameter quantum estimation and their associated QCRB for three phase-shift situations: in both arms; only in the upper arm (asymmetric); and in both arms symmetrically. We then investigate the phase sensitivity under three detection schemes: intensity difference; single-mode intensity; and balanced homodyne. Additionally, we explore the use of Perelomov and Barut–Girardello coherent states, two types of SU(1,1) coherent states, in all scenarios. Notably, we demonstrate that, under optimal conditions, all detection schemes can achieve the QCRB by utilizing SU(1,1) coherent states as input states.
We propose a novel method for enhancing phase estimation in the displacement-assisted SU(1,1) [DSU(1,1)] interferometer by incorporating the photon recycling technique, evaluated under both single-intensity detection (SID) and homodyne detection (HD) schemes. Our analysis shows that utilizing the photon recycling technique, the photon-recycled DSU(1,1) interferometer performs better than the conventional DSU(1,1) interferometer under certain conditions. We also demonstrate that this improvement is achievable in both SID and HD schemes. In addition, to discuss the maximum sensitivity achieved by our proposed model, we have calculated the quantum Cramér–Rao bound (QCRB) within the framework and found that our proposed model approaches the QCRB. Therefore, we believe that our findings offer a promising new approach to improving phase sensitivity through photon recycling.
We theoretically study the phase estimation based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with a two-mode squeezed coherent state. By maximizing the quantum Fisher information, we find that the quantum Cramér-Rao bounds (QCRB) can reach sub-Heisenberg limit under the phase-matched condition. The optimal phase sensitivity can reach the sub-shot noise limit (SNL) and approach the QCRB by employing the intensity difference detection. Meanwhile, compared with the MZI fed with a coherent plus a single-mode squeezed vacuum state, this scheme can have better performance by adjusting the squeezing parameter and the mean photon number. With the same parameter, our scheme shows more sensitive phase measurement than the SU(1,1) interferometer with a coherent plus a vacuum state. We also show that the phase sensitivity of our proposal can still reach the SNL when the loss of the photon is 36%. This scheme can provide potential applications in optical sensors.
A nonlinear phase shift is introduced to a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), and we present a scheme for enhancing the phase sensitivity. In our scheme, one input port of a standard MZI is injected with a coherent state and the other input port is injected with one mode of a two-mode squeezed-vacuum state. The final interference output of the MZI is detected with the method of active correlation output readout. Based on the optimal splitting ratio of beam splitters, the phase sensitivity can beat the standard quantum limit and approach the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound. The effects of photon loss on phase sensitivity are discussed. Our scheme can also provide some estimates for units of ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{(3)}$, due to the relation between the nonlinear phase shift and the susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{(3)}$ of the Kerr medium.
Phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) promises excellent performance for quantitative phase measurement. However, the PSI is commonly realized by utilizing the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) fed with classical resources, and hence its phase sensitivity is hindered by the photon shot noise. In this paper, we propose to introduce specific phase-shifting algorithms into the well-established quantum-enhanced MZI, seeded by coherent and squeezed vacuum states and followed by single-mode intensity detection and difference intensity detection, to achieve quantitative phase measurement with sensitivity beyond that achieved by the corresponding Mach-Zehnder-type PSI with classical input. We show that when the average photon number of the coherent state is dominant, the optimal phase sensitivity of the Mach-Zehnder-type PSI with coherent plus squeezed vacuum input is better than the phase sensitivity of the Mach-Zehnder-type PSI with single coherent input under the same phase-sensing intensity condition in both of detection setups. We also show that for the typical MZI seeded with a high-power coherent state and a finitely squeezed vacuum state, the combination of intensity detection and phase-shifting algorithm can still improve the sensitivity of quantitative phase measurement. Furthermore, we derive the phase sensitivity of the fixed MZI as well as the quantum Cramér-Rao bound for two detection schemes. Finally, we explore the impacts of photon losses on the phase sensitivity enhancements of the Mach-Zehnder-type PSI and the fixed MZI in the high-intensity regime for each detection setup. The robustness to losses is compared between the Mach-Zehnder-type PSI and the fixed MZI. Our results may be helpful to promote the exploration of quantum-enhanced quantitative phase sensing.
We study the phase super–sensitivity of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with the squeezed Kerr state (SKS) and coherent state as the inputs. We discuss the lower bound in phase sensitivity by considering the quantum Fisher information and the corresponding quantum Cramér–Rao bound. With the help of single intensity detection, intensity difference detection, and homodyne detection schemes, we find that our scheme gives a better sensitivity under both lossless and lossy conditions as compared to the well–known results of the combinations of inputs, such as coherent plus vacuum, coherent plus squeezed vacuum, and double coherent states. Because of the possibility of the generation of SKS with the present available quantum optical techniques, we expect that SKS may be an alternative nonclassical resource for the improvement in the phase super–sensitivity of the MZI in realistic scenarios.