Measuring nonclasicality of single-mode systems

TL;DR

This paper links two-mode entanglement criteria to single-mode nonclassicality, providing new conditions and measures for Gaussian states, and demonstrates their application to various quantum states.

Contribution

It derives new single-mode nonclassicality conditions from two-mode entanglement criteria and introduces an explicit measure for Gaussian states based on beam splitter transformations.

Findings

Single-mode nonclassicality can be inferred from two-mode entanglement criteria.

The generalized quadrature-squeezing condition is derived from Duan-Giedke-Cirac-Zoller criterion.

The nonclassicality measure detects nonclassical states like squeezed states and superradiant ground states.

Abstract

A beam splitter can generate entanglement if the input field is nonclassical, e.g. squeezed. Thus, beam splitter transformation can be utilized for obtaining single-mode nonclassicality conditions from two-mode entanglement criteria. Here, we demonstrate that (i) the generalized quadrature-squeezing condition $\langle\hat{a}^\dagger\hat{a}\rangle < |\langle \hat{a}^2\rangle|$ can be obtained from the two-mode entanglement criterion of Duan-Giedke-Cirac-Zoller~[PRL 84, 2722]. (ii) Single-mode nonclassicality condition, obtained from the two-mode entanglement criterion of Simon~[PRL, 84 2726], can detect (also accompanies) the nonclassicality of a superradiant ground state where no quadrature-squeezing takes place. (iii) We present an explicit form for a single-mode nonclassicality measure, for Gaussian states, via maximization of the beam splitter output with respect to the beam splitter parameters. We measure the nonclassicality of a squeezed state and the one generated by a damped second harmonic crystal cavity. We determine pump strengths where single-mode nonclassicality onsets, i.e. resists against the vacuum noise.