Abstract

We describe an experimental testbed demonstrating quantum measurements on a single spatio-temporal, polarization mode, photon-starved classical state of light. The measurements are designed to optimally discriminate between coherent and incoherent optical states at mean photon numbers n< 2. A narrow-linewidth, 780 nm laser is used to prepare a coherent state or a thermal state in a single spatio-temporal, polarization mode. Three measurement strategies are implemented for the discrimination problem: photon counting, shot-noise limited coherent detection, and the near-optimal, generalized Kennedy receiver. For each receiver type we present discrimination error probability measurements as a function of the mean photon number of the received optical state.

Date

2019

Authors

Jonathan Habif, Arunkumar Jagannathan

Journal

APS March Meeting Abstracts

Volume

2019

Pages

S29. 013