Near optimal discrimination of binary coherent signals via atom-light interaction

Han R, Bergou JA, Leuchs G (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

New Journal of Physics Institute of Physics: Open Access Journals / Institute of Physics (IoP) and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft

Book Volume: 20

Article Number: 043005

Journal Issue: 4

DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/aab2c5

Abstract

We study the discrimination of weak coherent states of light with significant overlaps by nondestructive measurements on the light states through measuring atomic states that are entangled to the coherent states via dipole coupling. In this way, the problem of measuring and discriminating coherent light states is shifted to finding the appropriate atom-light interaction and atomic measurements. We show that this scheme allows us to attain a probability of error extremely close to the Helstrom bound, the ultimate quantum limit for discriminating binary quantum states, through the simple Jaynes-Cummings interaction between the field and ancilla with optimized light-atom coupling and projective measurements on the atomic states. Moreover, since the measurement is nondestructive on the light state, information that is not detected by one measurement can be extracted from the post-measurement light states through subsequent measurements.

Authors with CRIS profile

Gerhard Leuchs

Involved external institutions

Hunter College

United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL) / Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light

Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Han, R., Bergou, J.A., & Leuchs, G. (2018). Near optimal discrimination of binary coherent signals via atom-light interaction. New Journal of Physics, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aab2c5

MLA:

Han, Rui, Janos A. Bergou, and Gerd Leuchs. "Near optimal discrimination of binary coherent signals via atom-light interaction." New Journal of Physics 20.4 (2018).

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