Double homodyne detection and quantum state determination

Dirk‐Gunnar Welsch, W. Vogel, Tomáš Opatrný

Yu-Wei 煜伟 Xiao 肖, Yue Ji, Jun Wei +2 more

Abstract We theoretically investigate the phase sensitivity of a truncated SU(1,1) interferometer fed with a two-mode coherent state and employing double-port homodyne detection. On the one hand, we analytically demonstrate that the two-mode coherent state provides better phase sensitivity than the single-mode coherent state. In addition, we show that the double-port homodyne detection is a quasi-optimal measurement. For a bright coherent-state input, the sensitivity of this scheme saturates the phase-sensitivity bound determined by the quantum Fisher information. On the other hand, we quantitatively illustrate the advantage of double-port homodyne detection over the single-port scheme under ideal conditions and in the presence of photon loss, respectively. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the scheme we propose is robust against photon loss.

Th. Richter

We consider double balanced homodyne detection schemes with and without (local oscillator) phase-randomized detection. We discuss the reconstruction of the photon statistics from phase-randomized measurements. We show how the Wigner function of a photon-number state can be synthesized from phase-randomized double homodyne measurements of two properly prepared field states. Moreover we propose a new procedure to determine the whole density matrix from the Q function. Finally we express the Q function in terms of normally ordered moments and discuss their reconstruction.

Niels Tripier-Mondancin, David Barral, Ganaël Roeland +3 more

The full characterization of quantum states of light is a central task in quantum optics and information science. Double homodyne detection provides a powerful method for the direct measurement of the Husimi Q quasi-probability distribution, offering a complete state representation in a simple experimental setting and a limited time frame. Here, we demonstrate that double homodyne detection can serve as more than a passive characterization tool. By intentionally unbalancing the input beamsplitter that splits the quantum signal, we show that the detection scheme itself performs an effective squeezing or anti-squeezing transformation on the state being measured. The resulting measurement directly samples the Q function of the input state as if it were acted upon by a squeezing operator whose strength is a tunable experimental parameter: the beamsplitter's reflectivity. We experimentally realize this technique using a robust polarization-encoded double homodyne detection to characterize a squeezed vacuum state. Our results demonstrate the controlled deformation of the measured Q function's phase-space distribution, confirming that unbalanced double homodyne detection is a versatile tool for simultaneous quantum state manipulation and characterization.

Tomáš Tyc, Barry C. Sanders

Ashish Kumar Patra, G Raghavan, Kanaka Raju P