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arXiv:2510.01731 · New Journal of Physics

Extracting the photon indistinguishability error from measurable quantum observables

F. H. B. Somhorst, Jason Saied, Eleanor Gilbert Rieffel, Jelmer J. Renema

Published Dec 1, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

Abstract We present a method to extract the photon indistinguishability error from Hong–Ou–Mandel interference measurements, accounting for the combined effects of loss and multiphoton noise that contaminate the single-photon Hilbert space. Our analysis resolves apparent inconsistencies in previous interpretations of such measurements. The reported method applies to a wide range of single-photon sources, including quantum dots.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/ae2bf4

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Abstract We present a method to extract the photon indistinguishability error from Hong–Ou–Mandel interference measurements, accounting for the combined effects of loss and multiphoton noise that contaminate the single-photon Hilbert space. Our analysis resolves apparent inconsistencies in previous interpretations of such measurements. The reported method applies to a wide range of single-photon sources, including quantum dots.
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