We investigate the performance of a Kennedy receiver, which is known as a beneficial tool in optical coherent communications, to the quantum state discrimination of the two superpositions of vacuum and single photon states corresponding to the $hatsigma_x$ eigenstates in the single-rail encoding of photonic qubits. We experimentally characterize the Kennedy receiver in vacuum-single photon two-dimensional space using quantum detector tomography and evaluate the achievable discrimination error probability from the reconstructed measurement operators. We furthermore derive the minimum error rate obtainable with Gaussian transformations and homodyne detection. Our proof of principle experiment shows that the Kennedy receiver can achieve a discrimination error surpassing homodyne detection.
Todays most widely used method of encoding quantum information in optical qubits is the dual-rail basis, often carried out through the polarisation of a single photon. On the other hand, many stationary carriers of quantum information - such as atoms - couple to light via the single-rail encoding in which the qubit is encoded in the number of photons. As such, interconversion between the two encodings is paramount in order to achieve cohesive quantum networks. In this paper, we demonstrate this by generating an entangled resource between the two encodings and using it to teleport a dual-rail qubit onto its single-rail counterpart. This work completes the set of tools necessary for the interconversion between the three primary encodings of the qubit in the optical field: single-rail, dual-rail and continuous-variable.
The non-linearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to `de-Gaussify a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a technique for photon number resolution using only homodyne detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement; unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one and two photon subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon number measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon number resolving capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it suitable for quantum information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.
The determination of the density matrix of an ensemble of identically prepared quantum systems by performing a series of measurements, known as quantum tomography, is minimal when the number of outcomes is minimal. The most accurate minimal quantum tomography of qubits, sometimes called a tetrahedron measurement, corresponds to projections over four states which can be represented on the Bloch sphere as the vertices of a regular tetrahedron. We investigate whether it is possible to implement the tetrahedron measurement of double slit qubits of light, using measurements performed on a single plane. Assuming Gaussian slits and free propagation, we demonstrate that a judicious choice of the detection plane and the double slit geometry allows the implementation of a tetrahedron measurement. Finally, we consider possible sets of values which could be used in actual experiments.
Retrieving classical information encoded in optical modes is at the heart of many quantum information processing tasks, especially in the field of quantum communication and sensing. Yet, despite its importance, the fundamental limits of optical mode discrimination have been studied only in few specific examples. Here we present a toolbox to find the optimal discrimination of any set of optical modes. The toolbox uses linear and semi-definite programming techniques, which provide rigorous (not heuristic) bounds, and which can be efficiently solved on standard computers. We study both probabilistic and unambiguous single-shot discrimination in two scenarios: the channel-discrimination scenario, typical of metrology, in which the verifier holds the light source and can set up a reference frame for the phase; and the source-discrimination scenario, more frequent in cryptography, in which the verifier only sees states that are diagonal in the photon-number basis. Our techniques are illustrated with several examples. Among the results, we find that, for many sets of modes, the optimal state for mode discrimination is a superposition or mixture of at most two number states; but this is not general, and we also exhibit counter-examples.
We propose a scheme to implement a heralded quantum memory for single-photon polarization qubits with a single atom trapped in an optical cavity. In this scheme, an injected photon only exchanges quantum state with the atom, so that the heralded storage can be achieved by detecting the output photon. We also demonstrate that the scheme can be used for realizing the heralded quantum state transfer, exchange and entanglement distribution between distant nodes. The ability to detect whether the operation has succeeded or not is crucial for practical application.
Shuro Izumi
,Jonas S. Neergaard-Nielsen
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(2017)
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"Tomography of a displacement photon counter for discrimination of single-rail optical qubits"
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Shuro Izumi
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