Heralded one-, two- and three-photon states from waveguided parametric down-conversion

Abstract

The manifold coincidences and singles counting provides a resource-saving quantum-optics analysis tool, since it is appropriate even in the presence of heavy experimental imperfections. Here, we prepare cross-polarized twin beams in the telecommunication wavelength range via parametric down-conversion in a periodically-poled KTiOPO$_4$ waveguide and herald photon-number states up to three photons. First, we show that the single-click probability is a versatile tool not only for extracting the state's mean photon number but also for sampling values of the moment generating function being the core behind any quantum optical state. Second, we measure values of the normalized factorial moments of photon number, $g^{(m)}_{\text{h}}$, up to the order $m = n+1$ for the heralded $n$-photon state. These normalized photon correlations provide an expedient method for examining the higher-order non-classicality of light by violating the condition $g^{(m+1)}_{\text{h}} \ge g^{(m)}_{\text{h}} \ge 1$.