Generating arbitrary photon-number entangled states for continuous-variable quantum informatics

TL;DR

This paper introduces two experimental methods to generate arbitrary photon-number entangled states for continuous-variable quantum information, highlighting their advantages over Gaussian states and analyzing their practical feasibility.

Contribution

It presents novel schemes for producing arbitrary photon-number entangled states and compares their properties to Gaussian states, considering experimental imperfections.

Findings

Non-Gaussian states can offer practical advantages in quantum information tasks.

The proposed schemes are feasible with current technology despite detector inefficiencies.

Photon-number entangled states can be tailored for specific quantum applications.

Abstract

We propose two experimental schemes that can produce an arbitrary photon-number entangled state (PNES) in a finite dimension. This class of entangled states naturally includes non-Gaussian continuous-variable (CV) states that may provide some practical advantages over the Gaussian counterparts (two-mode squeezed states). We particularly compare the entanglement characteristics of the Gaussian and the non-Gaussian states in view of the degree of entanglement and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlation, and further discuss their applications to the CV teleportation and the nonlocality test. The experimental imperfection due to the on-off photodetectors with nonideal efficiency is also considered in our analysis to show the feasibility of our schemes within existing technologies.