High-fidelity noiseless amplification by photon addition and subtraction

Year: 2011

Authors: Zavatta A., Locatelli M., Polycarpou C., Fiurasek J., Bellini M.

Autors Affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR), L.go E. Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy; LENS and Department of Physics, University of Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence; Department of Optics, Palacky University, 17 listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic

Abstract: Fundamental laws of quantum mechanics impose that arbitrary quantum states cannot be perfectly cloned or amplified without introducing some unavoidable noise in the process. The quantum noise intrinsic to the functioning of a linear phase-insensitive amplifier can however be avoided by relaxing the requirement of a deterministic operation. Non-deterministic noiseless linear amplifiers that do not violate any fundamental quantum law are therefore possible and here we present the first experimental realization of a scheme that allows noiseless amplification of coherent states at the best level of effective gain and final state fidelity ever reached. This scheme, based on a sequence of photon addition and subtraction, and characterized by a significant amplification and low distortions, may become a useful tool for quantum communications and metrology, by enhancing the discrimination between partially overlapping quantum states or by recovering the information transmitted over lossy channels.

Conference title: Conference on the Photon Counting Applications, Quantum Optics, and Quantum Information Transfer and Processing III
Place: Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC

KeyWords: Photon addition and subtraction; Arbitrary quantum state; Coherent state; Effective gain; Final state; Fundamental laws; High fidelity; Linear amplifiers; Lossy channel; Low distortion; Noiseless amplification; Phase-insensitive amplifiers; Quantum state, Amplification; Photons; Quantum optics, Quantum theory
DOI: 10.1117/12.887192

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