EXPERIMENTAL-DETERMINATION OF QUANTUM-PHASE DISTRIBUTIONS USING OPTICAL HOMODYNE TOMOGRAPHY

From the experimental measurement of probability distributions of quad rature-field amplitudes, followed by numerical inversion (optical homo dyne tomography), we have determined distributions and/or moments of t he optical phase of small-photon-number fields for several definitions of the phase variable, including those based on Hermitian operators a nd on quasiprobability distributions. These measurements were performe d on a vacuum field, and a weakly squeezed field. It is found that eac h definition of phase yields different distributions and/or moments fo r the experimental data. In addition, all of the experimentally determ ined quantities agree with the corresponding theoretical predictions.