Physical Review A
Quantum complementarity ad infinitum : Switching higher-order coherence from infinity to zero
Arash Azizi
Abstract
We reveal a sharp form of complementarity in the \emph{Janus state}—a coherent superposition of two squeezed vacua. Using a compact generating-function formalism, we derive closed-form expressions for $g^{(k)}$ at all orders and introduce \emph{squeezing polynomials} $P_k(z)$ that factorize the moments and expose phase-dependent scaling. The Janus state operates as a phase-tunable quantum switch for multi-photon correlations: when which-path/which-state information is available (trivial interference), the higher-order coherences $g^{(k)}$ reproduce the single-squeezed limit and diverge; when path information is erased and genuine interference from coherent superposition is enabled, multi-photon events are extinguished, driving $g^{(k)}\!\to\!0$ for all $k\!\ge\!3$. We obtain a hierarchy of suppression with exponents set by the interference phase and the parity of $k$, and we visualize the mechanism via pronounced Wigner-function negativity. The framework is general and experimentally accessible, enabling engineered nonclassical light with tailored higher-order statistics.