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Oxford University Press eBooks

Nonclassical states of light

J. C. Garrison, R. Y. Chiao

Published Jun 5, 2008• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

This chapter reviews theoretical and experimental aspects of non-classical states of light, e.g., squeezed states and number states. The definition of squeezed states and a review of their general properties is followed by a discussion of special kinds of squeezing, e.g., squeezed coherent states, displaced squeezed states, and amplitude or phase squeezing. An overview of photon counting statistics and robustness of squeezed states is followed by a theoretical model of their generation and a description of their experimental production. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the experimental generation of number states, including methods for generation of single-photon states on demand, which have applications to quantum information processing.

DOI
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198508861.003.0016

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This chapter reviews theoretical and experimental aspects of non-classical states of light, e.g., squeezed states and number states. The definition of squeezed states and a review of their general properties is followed by a discussion of special kinds of squeezing, e.g., squeezed coherent states, displaced squeezed states, and amplitude or phase squeezing. An overview of photon counting statistics and robustness of squeezed states is followed by a theoretical model of their generation and a description of their experimental production. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the experimental generation of number states, including methods for generation of single-photon states on demand, which have applications to quantum information processing.
This review covers recent theoretical and experimental efforts to extend the application of the continuous-variable quantum technology of light beyond "Gaussian" quantum states, such as coherent and squeezed states, into the domain of "non-Gaussian" states with negative Wigner functions. Starting with basic Gaussian nonclassicality associated with single- and two-mode vacuum states produced by means of parametric down-conversion and applying a set of standard tools, such as linear interferometry, coherent state injection, and conditional homodyne and photon number measurements, one can implement a large variety of optical states and processes that are relevant in fundamental quantum physics as well as quantum optical information processing. We present a systematic review of these methods, paying attention to both fundamental and practical aspects of their implementation, as well as a comprehensive overview of the results achieved therewith.
Light exists in several distinct quantum states that include photon number and coherent states. But these are not the only states of light, and others that are known to display unusual properties raise hopes for a deeper understanding of the quantum behavior at the classical-quantum barrier. In the previous chapter, we learned about two important states of light: the coherent and number states. In this chapter, we will deal with a special state of light called the squeezed state. As the name suggests, conjugate quantities/variables (such as intensity and phase) can be squeezed beyond their short-noise limit, obeying Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. These specialized states of light have the distinct ability to measure variables (e.g., intensity) below the short-noise limit. Of course, this comes at the cost of increased uncertainty in the associated conjugate variable. In this chapter, we will explore these possibilities and briefly discuss techniques to generate such light. These specialized light sources find applications in ultrahigh precision measurement (gravitational-wave detection) and sophisticated instrumentation.
In this tutorial article the authors provide a discussion of squeezed states of light from an elementary point of view. An outline of the topics considered is provided in the contents list below. Following the presentation of topics 1-3, which are of a general nature, they discuss two kinds of nonclassical light: quadrature-squeezed light (topics 4-6) and photon-number-squeezed light (topics 7-9). In the last part of the article they provide a listing of early nonclassical light experiments and consider a number of applications (and potential applications) of squeezed light. Finally, they provide a survey of the available general literature.
Non-classical light is both easily encoded with quantum information and robust against decoherence, making it a key resource that enables many quantum information applications including quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum metrology. We present a wide range of experimental and theoretical research toward the generation, detection, characterization, and storage of non-classical states of light with an eye toward quantum information applications. To provide a basis for the rest of the work, we begin by discussing theoretically the role of photon number statistics in optical quantum information and the use of second-order optical coherence to characterize non-classical light. Building on that, we present an original tool for the difficult problem of reconstructing the underlying mode distribution of multi-mode optical fields using simple measurements of higher-order optical coherence. We then move on to the problem of generating and storing single photons. We do this in a solid-state medium, a rare-earth ion-doped crystal, with a long-lived spin transition ideal for storing quantum information. We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this concept by showing correlations between the optical fields that herald storage and retrieval of collective excitations. This scheme can be used for the two important and distinct applications of generating single photons on-demand and storing quantum information and entanglement. The detection of non-classical light is a task as important as its generation. To this end, we study detectors with near unity detection efficiency and photon number resolution for use in quantum-enabled metrology. We use such a detector to experimentally demonstrate compression of spatial fringes and investigate the possibility of improving measurement resolution with classical and non-classical light. Finally, we report a set of experiments using photon number statistics to characterize classical and non-classical light. We measure suppression of unwanted multi-photon emission in a heralded single photon source based on four-wave mixing in microstructure optical fiber. And we, for the first time, experimentally demonstrate reconstruction of multi-mode classical and non-classical light from measured photon number statistics.
Squeezed Displaced Number States of the light were introduced in the recent literature. They exhibit various nonclassical properties as sub-Poissonian statistics, squeezing and oscillations in the photon-numer distribution. Here we investigate other properties of these fields, as waiting-time and photoelectron-counting distributions. We considerably simplify previous calculations in the literature while showing that these states constitute a unified approach for number, coherent, and squeezed states.
The physical picture of the properties of light in squeezed and in other nonclassical states is presented and compared with the properties of light in the classical coherent state. The theoretical basis of the description and the generation of squeezed light is presented, and a practical scheme for obtaining light in other of its nonclassical states is discussed. The general nature of the phenomenon is emphasized, as well as the possibility of its transfer to other fields such as acoustics, mechanics, and various Bose fields.