Measuring amplitude probability distributions for photon number- operator eigenstates.
01 January 1987
A homodyne detector measures a field amplitude component of the incoming signal. If the incoming signal is in a n-photon eigenstate the homodyne detector's output probability distribution exhibits n fringes. Here the degree to which the visibility of these fringes is degraded by a homodyne detector with less than unit quantum efficiency is evaluated. An experiment employing conjugate pairs of photons generated via a parametric down- conversion or a four-wave mixing is proposed by which these fringes could be observed.