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Loss-resistant verification of quantum non-Gaussian photon statistics

Riccardo Checchinato1, Jan-Heinrich Littmann1, Lukáš Lachman2, Jaewon Lee1, Sven Höfling3, Christian Schneider4, Radim Filip2, and Ana Predojević1,*

  • *Contact author: ana.predojevic@fysik.su.se

Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043097 – Published 24 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nbkg-8jz9

Abstract

Quantum non-Gaussian states of light have fundamental properties that are essential for a multitude of applications in quantum technology. However, many of these features are difficult to detect using standard criteria due to optical losses and detector inefficiency. As the statistics of light are unknown, the loss correction on the data is unreliable, despite the fact that the losses can be precisely measured. To address this issue, we employ a loss-mitigated verification technique utilizing quantum non-Gaussian witnesses, which incorporate the known optical losses and detector inefficiency into their derivation. This approach allows us to address the considerable challenge of experimentally demonstrating unheralded quantum non-Gaussian states of single photons and photon pairs.

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