This thesis presents an investigation into the generation and characterisation of non-Gaussian states in continuous variable quantum optics. Beginning by placing the study of continuous variables within the context of quantum information processing more generally, we then motivate the need for non-Gaussianity within quantum computing protocols. The focus then narrows to the consideration of two particular sets of non-Gaussian states: orthogonal superposition states and the cubic resource state. The superposition of two orthogonal states has been shown to enhance certain continuous variable quantum information processing protocols that rely on entanglement, and within this section two distinct methods for generating such states are considered. While one of these methods provides a specific example, the other introduces a general orthogonaliser that relies solely on knowledge of the expectation value for the chosen orthogonalising operator in order to produce the superposition. The second case for non-Gaussian state generation employs current results demonstrating the production of a weak approximation of the cubic resource state in order to illustrate the use of such single-mode states to generate multimode states with similar features. These states are implemented as ancillas for a deterministic non-Gaussian gate operation on a system of choice. We show that generating multimode states through this distribution scheme allows an enhancement of the output state to better approximate the nonlinear features. Finally, we consider methods of characterising non-Gaussian states. In particular, we introduce a witness for pure states existing outside of the Gaussian convex hull. Such states exclude Gaussian pure states as well as non-Gaussian states generated from mixtures of squeezed and coherent states, and therefore consist of non-Gaussian states generated from non-Gaussian operations. We present a detection-independent bound for such states based on the generalised quasiprobability distribution.Open Acces
