Practical tests for sub-Rayleigh source discriminations with imperfect demultiplexers

Quantum-optimal discrimination between one and two closely separated light sources can be theoretically achieved by ideal spatial-mode demultiplexing, simply monitoring whether a photon is detected in a single antisymmetric mode. However, we show that for any imperfections of the demultiplexer, no m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOptica Quantum Vol. 2; no. 1; p. 29
Main Authors Schlichtholz, Konrad, Linowski, Tomasz, Walschaers, Mattia, Treps, Nicolas, Rudnicki, Łukasz, Sorelli, Giacomo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 25.02.2024
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Summary:Quantum-optimal discrimination between one and two closely separated light sources can be theoretically achieved by ideal spatial-mode demultiplexing, simply monitoring whether a photon is detected in a single antisymmetric mode. However, we show that for any imperfections of the demultiplexer, no matter how small, this simple statistical test becomes practically useless. While we identify a class of separation-independent tests with vanishing error probabilities in the limit of large numbers of detected photons, they are generally unreliable beyond that very limit. As a practical alternative, we propose a simple semi-separation-independent test, which provides a method for designing reliable experiments, through arbitrary control over the maximal probability of error.
ISSN:2837-6714
2837-6714
DOI:10.1364/OPTICAQ.502459