Experimental detection of nonclassicality of single-mode fields via intensity moments

TL;DR

This paper compares nonclassicality criteria based on intensity moments derived from matrix and majorization theories, demonstrating experimentally that the majorization approach provides more effective criteria for detecting nonclassical states of light.

Contribution

It introduces fifteen new nonclassicality criteria based on majorization theory using intensity moments up to fifth order and experimentally validates their effectiveness.

Findings

Majorization theory yields more suitable nonclassicality criteria.

Fifteen criteria identified and experimentally tested.

Effective detection of nonclassical states from twin beams.

Abstract

Nonclassicality criteria based on intensity moments and derived from the usual matrix approach are compared to those provided by the majorization theory. The majorization theory is shown to give a greater number of more suitable nonclassicality criteria. Fifteen experimentally useful criteria of the majorization theory containing the intensity moments up to the fifth order are identified. Their performance is experimentally demonstrated on the set of eleven potentially nonclassical states generated from a twin beam by postselection based on detecting a given number of photocounts in one arm by using an iCCD camera.