Retrodictive quantum state engineering

Acknowledgments......Page 3
List of Publications......Page 4
Abstract......Page 5
List of Symbols......Page 6
List of Abbreviations......Page 8
List of Tables......Page 9
List of Figures......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
Arrow of time......Page 15
Structure of this thesis......Page 18
Preparation and measurement......Page 21
Preparation and measurement devices......Page 22
Fundamental postulate......Page 23
Density matrices, POMs and unbiased devices......Page 25
Predictive formalism of quantum mechanics......Page 26
Retrodictive formalism of quantum mechanics......Page 27
Time evolution......Page 28
Unidirectional flow of information......Page 29
Unbiased measuring devices......Page 30
Independent a priori probability......Page 32
Conditional state generation......Page 33
Predictive entangled state......Page 34
Retrodictive entangled state......Page 36
Retrodictive state engineering......Page 39
Factorizing states in finite dimensional Hilbert spaces......Page 40
Discrete unitary transformations......Page 41
Generalised 50/50 beam-splitter......Page 43
Retrodictive state engineering......Page 47
State optimisation......Page 51
Retrodictive phase state with linear optics......Page 52
Simple configuration......Page 54
Optimal configuration......Page 55
Discrete Fourier Transform......Page 57
Generalised measuring apparatus......Page 58
Simplifying experiments with retrodictive states......Page 62
Phase variance......Page 63
Mean of the phase sine......Page 64
Variance of the phase cosine and sine......Page 69
Higher order phase moments......Page 72
Measuring the density matrix elements of light......Page 79
Quantum optical phase and its measurement......Page 84
Canonical phase......Page 85
Experimental proposal......Page 88
Reconstructing and measuring the phase distribution......Page 93
Eight-port interferometer......Page 96
Some practical considerations......Page 102
Summary......Page 105
Conclusion......Page 106
Corrections for imperfect photon detection......Page 110
Detector inefficiency......Page 111
Raising operator......Page 112
Fourier coefficients of the phase distribution......Page 114
Squeezed states as approximate binomial states......Page 116