Criteria for single photon sources with variable nonclassicality threshold

Abstract

Single photon sources are necessary for optical quantum technology. The nonclassicality of emitted single photons manifests itself in diverse experiments and applications. The applications already require different nonclassical aspects of single photons, however, a suitable hierarchy of criteria is missing. We propose variable experimental tests, based on adjustable linear optical networks and single photon detectors, giving a hierarchy of such nonclassicality criteria. The hierarchy goes beyond Hanbury–Brown–Twiss test of photon antibunching and allows us to compare faithfully quality and performance of single photon sources via their nonclassical properties.