3,832 research outputs found
Effects of Mirror Aberrations on Laguerre-Gaussian Beams in Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Detectors
A fundamental limit to the sensitivity of optical interferometers is imposed
by Brownian thermal fluctuations of the mirrors' surfaces. This thermal noise
can be reduced by using larger beams which "average out" the random
fluctuations of the surfaces. It has been proposed previously that wider,
higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes can be used to exploit this effect. In
this article, we show that susceptibility to spatial imperfections of the
mirrors' surfaces limits the effectiveness of this approach in interferometers
used for gravitational-wave detection. Possible methods of reducing this
susceptibility are also discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Benchmarking of Gaussian boson sampling using two-point correlators
Gaussian boson sampling is a promising scheme for demonstrating a quantum
computational advantage using photonic states that are accessible in a
laboratory and, thus, offer scalable sources of quantum light. In this
contribution, we study two-point photon-number correlation functions to gain
insight into the interference of Gaussian states in optical networks. We
investigate the characteristic features of statistical signatures which enable
us to distinguish classical from quantum interference. In contrast to the
typical implementation of boson sampling, we find additional contributions to
the correlators under study which stem from the phase dependence of Gaussian
states and which are not observable when Fock states interfere. Using the first
three moments, we formulate the tools required to experimentally observe
signatures of quantum interference of Gaussian states using two outputs only.
By considering the current architectural limitations in realistic experiments,
we further show that a statistically significant discrimination between quantum
and classical interference is possible even in the presence of loss, noise, and
a finite photon-number resolution. Therefore, we formulate and apply a
theoretical framework to benchmark the quantum features of Gaussian boson
sampling under realistic conditions
Direct probing of the Wigner function by time-multiplexed detection of photon statistics
We investigate the capabilities of loss-tolerant quantum state
characterization using a photon-number resolving, time-multiplexed detector
(TMD). We employ the idea of probing the Wigner function point-by-point in
phase space via photon parity measurements and displacement operations,
replacing the conventional homodyne tomography. Our emphasis lies on
reconstructing the Wigner function of non-Gaussian Fock states with highly
negative values in a scheme that is based on a realistic experimental setup. In
order to establish the concept of loss-tolerance for state characterization we
show how losses can be decoupled from the impact of other experimental
imperfections, i.e. the non-unity transmittance of the displacement
beamsplitter and non-ideal mode overlap. We relate the experimentally
accessible parameters to effective ones that are needed for an optimised state
reconstruction. The feasibility of our approach is tested by Monte Carlo
simulations, which provide bounds resulting from statistical errors that are
due to limited data sets. Our results clearly show that high losses can be
accepted for a defined parameter range, and moreover, that (in contrast to
homodyne detection) mode mismatch results in a distinct signature, which can be
evaluated by analysing the photon number oscillations of the displaced Fock
states.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, published versio
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