We suggest a scheme to reconstruct the covariance matrix of a two-mode state using a single homodyne detector plus a polarizing beam splitter and a polarization rotator. It can be used to fully characterize bipartite Gaussian states and to extract relevant informations on generic states.
We present a novel method to fully estimate Gaussian bipartite polarization states using only a single homodyne detector. Our approach is based on [Phys. Rev. Lett.102, 020502 (2009)10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.020502], but circumvents additional optics, and thereby losses, in the signal path. We provide an intuitive explanation of our scheme without needing to define auxiliary modes. With six independent measurements, we fully reconstruct the state's covariance matrix. We validate our method by comparing it to a conventional dual-homodyne measurement scheme.
Gaussian bipartite states are basic tools for the realization of quantum information protocols with continuous variables. Their complete characterization is obtained by the reconstruction of the corresponding covariance matrix. Here we describe in detail and experimentally demonstrate a robust and reliable method to fully characterize bipartite optical Gaussian states by means of a single homodyne detector. We have successfully applied our method to the bipartite states generated by a sub-threshold type-II optical parametric oscillator which produces a pair of thermal cross-polarized entangled cw frequency degenerate beams. The method provides a reliable reconstruction of the covariance matrix and allows us to retrieve all the physical information about the state under investigation. These include observable quantities, such as energy and squeezing, as well as nonobservable ones such as purity, entropy, and entanglement. Our procedure also includes advanced tests for the Gaussianity of the state and, overall, represents a powerful tool to study the bipartite Gaussian state from the generation stage to the detection one.
We present the full experimental reconstruction of Gaussian entangled states generated by a type-II optical parametric oscillator below threshold. Our scheme provides the entire covariance matrix using a single homodyne detector and allows for the complete characterization of bipartite Gaussian states, including the evaluation of purity, entanglement, and nonclassical photon correlations, without a priori assumptions on the state under investigation. Our results show that single homodyne schemes are convenient and robust setups for the full characterization of optical parametric oscillator signals and represent a tool for quantum technology based on continuous variable entanglement.