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Optical Cat State Approximation in a Nonlinear Interferometer-like Photon-Subtraction Setup

Johanna Conrad, Fabian Steinlechner, René Sondenheimer

Published Jan 1, 2026• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Schrödinger cat states are valuable non-Gaussian resources, but their preparation via photon subtraction scales poorly with their size. We propose a nonlinear interferometer-like scheme that enables higher-fidelity cat-state approximations with improved success probabilities.

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Optical Schrödinger cat states are non-Gaussian states with applications in quantum technologies, such as for building error-correcting states in quantum computing. Yet the efficient generation of high-fidelity optical Schrödinger cat states is an outstanding problem in quantum optics. Here, we propose using squeezed superpositions of zero and two photons, ∣θ⟩=cos⁡(θ/2)∣0⟩+sin⁡(θ/2)∣2⟩|θ\rangle = \cos{(θ/2)}|0\rangle + \sin{(θ/2)}|2\rangle∣θ⟩=cos(θ/2)∣0⟩+sin(θ/2)∣2⟩, as ingredients for protocols to efficiently generate high-fidelity cat states. We present a protocol using linear optics with success probability P≳50%P\gtrsim 50\%P≳50% that can generate cat states of size ∣α∣2=5|α|^2=5∣α∣2=5 with fidelity F>0.99F>0.99F>0.99. The protocol relies only on detecting single photons and is remarkably tolerant of loss, with 2%2\%2% detection loss still achieving F>0.98F>0.98F>0.98 for cats with ∣α∣2=5|α|^2=5∣α∣2=5. We also show that squeezed θθθ states are ideal candidates for nonlinear photon subtraction using a two-level system with near deterministic success probability and fidelity F>0.98F>0.98F>0.98 for cat states of size ∣α∣2=5|α|^2=5∣α∣2=5. Schemes for generating θθθ states using quantum emitters are also presented. Our protocols can be implemented with current state-of-the-art quantum optics experiments.
We propose a high-rate generation method of optical Schr\"odinger cat states. Thus far, photon subtraction from squeezed vacuum states has been a standard method in cat-state generation, but its constraints on experimental parameters limit the generation rate. In this paper, we consider the state generation by photon number measurement in one mode of two-mode Gaussian states, which is a generalization of conventional photon subtraction, and derive the conditions to generate high-fidelity and large-amplitude cat states. Our method relaxes the constraints on experimental parameters, allowing us to optimize them and attain a high generation rate. Supposing realistic experimental conditions, the generation rate of cat states with large amplitudes ($|\ensuremath{\alpha}|\ensuremath{\ge}2)$ can exceed megacounts per second, about 103{10}^{3}103 to 106{10}^{6}106 times better than typical rates of conventional photon subtraction. This rate would be improved further by the progress of related technologies. The ability to generate non-Gaussian states at a high rate is important in quantum computing using optical continuous variables, where scalability has been demonstrated but preparation of non-Gaussian states of light remains as a challenging task for universality and fault tolerance. Our proposal reduces the difficulty of the state preparation and opens a way for practical applications in quantum optics.
We propose a high-rate generation method of optical Schrödinger cat states [1] . More than a decade, the standard method of cat-state generation has been photon subtraction from squeezed vacuum states [2] . Its constraints on experimental parameters, however, limit the generation rate. We overcome the problem by considering photon-number measurement in one mode of arbitrary two-mode Gaussian states, which we call "generalized photon subtraction". Analysis of such a general situation is challenging, but we analytically derive an efficient condition by describing the state-generation process using wave functions. Supposing realistic experimental conditions, the generation rate of cat states with large-amplitude (| α| ≥ 2) is improved by multiple orders from the conventional photon subtraction. Our proposal would open a way for quantum error correction and coherent-state-based quantum computing.
Schrödinger cat states are important non-Gaussian resources for quantum information processing and quantum-enhanced metrology. Although photon subtraction from squeezed vacuum states has proven useful for generating such states in the optical domain, scaling to large amplitudes while maintaining high fidelity and heralding probability remains challenging. To address these obstacles, we analyze alternating squeezing and photon-number-subtraction operations. Rather than optimizing for a single heralding outcome, we formulate cat-state generation as a fidelity-constrained multibranch problem, jointly optimizing the total probability of all photon-number outcomes satisfying a prescribed fidelity threshold at one common experimental setting. Already for plain photon subtraction, this provides a more operational measure of the usable generation probability and can favor parameter configurations that differ from single-branch optima. Considering experimental constraints on available squeezing and photon-number-resolving capability, we demonstrate improvements in fidelity and success probability compared with plain photon subtraction, without necessarily increasing the required squeezing resources. Without restrictions on photon-number resolution, we find that the optimal architecture of the alternating scheme reduces to one of two single-subtraction endpoint configurations, depending on the available squeezing resources. When photon-number resolution is additionally limited, genuinely alternating branches can become advantageous. We derive analytical expressions for the conditional states, cat-state fidelities, and heralding probabilities, enabling efficient multibranch optimization and a systematic analysis of resource trade-offs, sensitivity to experimental parameter deviations, and heralding loss. Together, these results identify the architecture best suited to a given resource budget.
Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) states are essential non-Gaussian resources for fault-tolerant photonic quantum computing, enabling logical qubit encoding with intrinsic robustness against errors. Several approaches to GKP state preparation have been explored, including measurement-based protocols in circuit QED and trapped-ion systems, cat-state breeding, and photon-subtraction schemes. However, these methods are either restricted to specific platforms or require deep non-Gaussian resource chains with exponentially low success probabilities. Gaussian Boson Sampling (GBS) offers a compelling all-photonic alternative by generating non-Gaussian states through measurement-induced nonlinearity, without the need for matter-based ancilla or active feedforward. Nevertheless, its practical implementation is limited by the exponential computational cost of evaluating matrix hafnians-#P-complete functions that govern photon-number probabilities. To address this challenge, we introduce a two-stage Histogram Gradient Boosting surrogate pipeline that predicts, without any hafnian computation, the optimal heralding pattern, circuit fidelity, and post-selection probability for candidate GBS circuits, while reserving exact quantum simulation exclusively for surrogate-selected candidates. Trained on circuit configurations across 3-5 optical modes, the surrogate achieves 90.0% GKP-detection accuracy on a held-out set, representing a 23.7 percentage-point improvement over the baseline, with a fidelity mean absolute error of 0.032 and a log-scale post-selection probability R2=0.837R^2 = 0.837R2=0.837, reducing the total simulation burden by approximately 90%.