Intensity correlations in the Wigner representation

Abstract

We derive a compact expression for the second-order correlation function $g^{(2)} (0)$ of a quantum state in terms of its Wigner function, thereby establishing a direct link between $g^{(2)} (0)$ and the state's shape in phase space. We conduct an experiment that simultaneously measures $g^{(2)} (0)$ through direct photocounting and reconstructs the Wigner function via homodyne tomography. The results confirm our theoretical predictions.