Preparation of non-Gaussian states based on three-photon quantum scissors

Abstract

We investigate the properties of non-Gaussian quantum states generated by a three-photon quantum scissor (3-QS). Three different types of inputs to the 3-QS are considered: coherent state (CS), squeezed vacuum state (SVS), and optical field thermal state (TS). We discuss both the detection probability and fidelity of the output states. Our results demonstrate that when the input states have a smaller mean photon number, the output non-Gaussian state can exhibit high detection probability and high fidelity by selecting an appropriate transmissivity. Additionally, we calculate the Wigner functions for the various output states and analyze the non-classical properties by comparing the negative volume of the Wigner functions. The results indicate that the output non-Gaussian states display significant non-classical behavior, particularly when the transmissivity is high, with SVS as the input state showing the strongest effect. Moreover, we compare the performance of the 3-QS with that of the two-photon quantum scissors (2-QS). The findings demonstrate that the non-Gaussian states prepared by the 3-QS possess stronger non-classical characteristics. These results have potential implications for advancing the practical application of the 3-QS in quantum information technology.