https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2004-00133-0
A two-step MaxLik-MaxEnt strategy to infer photon distribution from on/off measurement at low quantum efficiency
Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università degli Studi di
Milano, Italia
Corresponding authors: a andrea.rossi@mi.infn.it - b matteo.paris@fisica.unimi.it
Received:
30
June
2004
Revised:
2
September
2004
Published online:
5
October
2004
A method based on Maximum-Entropy (ME) principle to infer photon distribution from on/off measurements performed with few and low values of quantum efficiency is addressed. The method consists of two steps: at first some moments of the photon distribution are retrieved from on/off statistics using Maximum-Likelihood estimation, then ME principle is applied to infer the quantum state and, in turn, the photon distribution. Results from simulated experiments on coherent and number states are presented.
PACS: 42.50.Ar – Photon statistics and coherence theory / 03.65.Wj – State reconstruction, quantum tomography / 42.50.Dv – Nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field, including entangled photon states; quantum state engineering and measurements
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2005
