Non-monotonic dependence of projection probabilities as a function of distinguishability

Typically, quantum superpositions, and thus measurement projections of quantum states involving interference, decrease (or increase) monotonically as a function of increased distinguishability. Distinguishability, in turn, can be a consequence of decoherence, for example caused by the (simultaneous) loss of excitation or due to inadequate mode matching (either deliberate or indeliberate). It is known that for some cases of multi-photon interference, non-monotonic decay of projection probabilities occurs, which has so far been attributed to interference between four or more two photons. We show that such a non-monotonic behaviour of projection probabilities is not unnatural, and can also occur for single-photon and even semiclassical states. Thus, while the effect traces its roots from indistinguishability and thus interference, the states for which this can be observed do not need to have particular quantum features.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in New Journal of Physics. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from i

Local uncertainty relations serving as measures of entanglement in a bipartite two-level system

We comment on the recent suggestion to use a family of local uncertainty relations as a standard way of quantifying entanglement in two-qubit systems. Some statements made on the applicability of the proposed "measures" are overly optimistic. We exemplify how these specific "measures" fall short, and present a minor modification of the general theory which uses the same experimentally gathered information, but in a slightly different, better way.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

A size criterion for macroscopic superposition states

An operational measure to quantify the sizes of some ``macroscopic quantum superpositions'', realized in recent experiments, is proposed. The measure is based on the fact that a superposition presents greater sensitivity in interferometric applications than its superposed constituent states. This enhanced sensitivity, or ``interference utility'', may then be used as a size criterion among superpositions.Comment: LaTeX2e-REVTeX4, 9 pages, 3 figures. V2: introduction and discussion slightly altere

Arbitrarily High Super-Resolving Phase Measurements at Telecommunication Wavelengths

We present two experiments that achieve phase super-resolution at telecommunication wavelengths. One of the experiments is realized in the space domain and the other in the time domain. Both experiments show high visibilities and are performed with standard lasers and single-photon detectors. The first experiment uses six-photon coincidences, whereas the latter needs no coincidence measurements, is easy to perform, and achieves, in principle, arbitrarily high phase super-resolution. Here, we demonstrate a 30-fold increase of the resolution. We stress that neither entanglement nor joint detection is needed in these experiments, demonstrating that neither is necessary to achieve phase super-resolution.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure