Continuous variable entanglement is a manifestation of nonclassicality of quantum states. In this paper we attempt to analyze whether and under which conditions nonclassicality can be used as an entanglement criterion. We adopt the well-accepted definition of nonclassicality in the form of lack of well-defined positive Glauber Sudarshan P-function describing the state. After demonstrating that the classicality of subsystems is not sufficient for the nonclassicality of the overall state to be identifiable with entanglement, we focus on Gaussian states and find specific local unitary transformations required to arrive at this equivalency. This is followed by the analysis of quantitative relation between nonclassicality and entanglement.
We theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a nonclassicality test of single-mode field in phase space, which has an analogy with the nonlocality test proposed by Banaszek and Wodkiewicz [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2009 (1999)]. Our approach to deriving the classical bound draws on the fact that the Wigner function of a coherent state is a product of two independent distributions as if the orthogonal quadratures (position and momentum) in phase space behave as local realistic variables. Our method detects every pure nonclassical Gaussian state, which can also be extended to mixed states. Furthermore, it sets a bound for all Gaussian states and their mixtures, thereby providing a criterion to detect a genuine quantum non-Gaussian state. Remarkably, our phase-space approach with invariance under Gaussian unitary operations leads to an optimized test for a given non-Gaussian state. We experimentally show how this enhanced method can manifest quantum non-Gaussianity of a state by simply choosing phase-space points appropriately, which is essentially equivalent to implementing a squeezing operation on a given state.
We propose a hierachy of nonclassicality criteria in phase space. Our formalism covers the negativity in phase space as a special case and further adresses nonclassicality for quantum states with positive phase-space distributions. Remarkably, it enables us to detect every nonclassical Gaussian state and every finite dimensional state in Fock basis by looking into only three phase-space points. Furthermore, our approach provides an experimentally accessible lower bound for the nonclassicality measure based on trace distance. We also extend our method to detecting genuine quantum non-Gaussianity of a state with a non-negative Wigner function. We finally establish our formalism by employing generalized quasiprobability distributions to demonstrate its power for a practical test using an on-off detector array.
We implement the direct sampling of negative phase-space functions via unbalanced homodyne measurement using click-counting detectors. The negativities significantly certify nonclassical light in the high-loss regime using a small number of detectors which cannot resolve individual photons. We apply our method to heralded single-photon states and experimentally demonstrate the most significant certification of nonclassicality for only two detection bins. By contrast, the frequently applied Wigner function fails to indicate such quantum characteristics for the quantum efficiencies present in our setup. In addition, it would require ideal photon-number resolution. Hence, we realize a robust, reliable, and resource-efficient approach to characterize nonclassical light in phase space under realistic conditions.
Existing measures of bipartite nonclassical correlation that is typically characterized by nonvanishing nonlocalizable information under the zero-way CLOCC protocol are expensive in computational cost. We define and evaluate economical measures on the basis of a new class of maps, eigenvalue-preserving-but-not-completely-eigenvalue-preserving (EnCE) maps. The class is in analogy to the class of positive-but-not-completely-positive (PnCP) maps that have been commonly used in the entanglement theories. Linear and nonlinear EnCE maps are investigated. We also prove subadditivity of the measures in a form of logarithmic fidelity.
We perform a phase-space analysis of strong-field enhanced ionisation in molecules, with emphasis on quantum-interference effects. Using Wigner quasi-probability distributions and the quantum Liouville equation, we show that the momentum gates reported in a previous publication [N. Takemoto and A. Becker, Phys. Rev. A textbf{84}, 023401 (2011)] may occur for static driving fields, and even for no external field at all. Their primary cause is an interference-induced bridging mechanism that occurs if both wells in the molecule are populated. In the phase-space regions for which quantum bridges occur, the Wigner functions perform a clockwise rotation whose period is intrinsic to the molecule. This evolution is essentially non-classical and non-adiabatic, as it does not follow equienergy curves or field gradients. Quasi-probability transfer via quantum bridges is favoured if the electrons initial state is either spatially delocalised, or situated at the upfield molecular well. Enhanced ionisation results from the interplay of this cyclic motion, adiabatic tunnel ionisation and population trapping. Optimal conditions require minimising population trapping and using the bridging mechanism to feed into ionisation pathways along the field gradient.