Direct measurement of the spatial Wigner function with area-integrated detection.
We demonstrate experimentally a novel technique for characterizing transverse spatial coherence by using the Wigner distribution function. The method is based on the measurement of interference between a pair of rotated and displaced replicas of the input beam with an area-integrating detector, and it provides an optimal signal-to-noise ratio in regimes when array detectors are not available. We analyze the quantum-optical picture of the presented measurement for single-photon signals and discuss possible applications in quantum information processing.
Mukamel
Eran
E
Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
Banaszek
Konrad
K
Walmsley
Ian A
IA
Dorrer
Christophe
C