ACCURACY OF SAMPLING QUANTUM PHASE-SPACE IN A PHOTON-COUNTING EXPERIMENT

We study the accuracy of determining the phase space quasi-distributio n of a single quantized light mode by a photon counting experiment. We derive an exact analytical formula for the error of the experimental outcome. This result provides an estimate of the experimental paramete rs, such as the number of events, required to determine the quasi-dist ribution with assumed precision. Our analysis also shows that it is, i n general, not possible to compensate for the imperfection of the phot odetector in the numerical processing of the experimental data. The di scussion is illustrated with Monte Carlo simulations of the photon cou nting experiment for the coherent state, the one photon Fock state, an d the Schrodinger cat state.