Quantum polarization tomography of bright squeezed light

Abstract

We reconstruct the polarization sector of a bright polarization squeezed beam starting from a complete set of Stokes measurements. Given the symmetry that underlies the polarization structure of quantum fields, we use the unique SU(2) Wigner distribution to represent states. In the limit of localized bright states, the Wigner function can be approximated by an inverse threedimensional Radon transform. We compare this direct reconstruction with the results of a maximum likelihood estimation, thus finding excellent agreement. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.