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 Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/abe00f

PAPER

Non-classicalities exhibited by the superposition of Schrödinger’s

cat state with the vacuum of the optical field
RECEIVED
23 November 2020
REVISED
22 January 2021
ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION
Karunesh Kumar Mishra∗, Dhiraj Yadav, Gaurav Shukla and Devendra Kumar Mishra
26 January 2021 Department of Physics, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, U. P., India
∗
PUBLISHED Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.
3 February 2021
E-mail: mishrakarunesh321@gmail.com and kndmishra@gmail.com

Keywords: Non-classical light, coherent state, Squeezing, Hong & Mandel’s higher-order squeezing, sub-Poissonian photon statistics,
Superposed coherent state, Wigner function

Abstract
Superposition of two coherent states, the Schrodinger’s cat state, can exhibit different nonclassical
properties having foundational applications in quantum information processing. We consider the
‘superposition of Schrodinger’s cat state with the vacuum state (SCVS)’ of the optical field. We discuss
different witness of nonclassicality properties such as lower- and higher-order squeezing (viz.,
squeezing, Hong & Mandel’s fourth-order squeezing, amplitude-squared squeezing) and sub-
Poissonian photon statistics. Further, we discuss the negativity of the Wigner function of SCVS
indicating the nonclassicality of the state under investigation. We find that the vacuum state
contribution in SCVS exhibits different nonclassicalities under some conditions stronger where the
nonclassicalities exhibited by the state without vacuum state contribution are weaker.

1. Introduction

Coherent state of light [1, 2] is the eigen state of annihilation operator and has a Poissonian photon distribution
[3, 4]. Properties of the coherent states can be remarkably altered by the addition of a single photon [5–7] and
they can get closer to the number states with the addition of more photons. Historically, in 1926 Erwin
Schrödinger was looking for classical-like states satisfying the minimum uncertainty relation and introduced the
coherent state [1]. Schrödinger’s cat states [1], superposition of two coherent states (SCSs) ( (∣ añ ∣-añ) with
aˆ ∣ añ = a∣ añ, â being the annihilation operator), have been extensively studied in quantum physics due to their
foundational applications in quantum information processing [2–9]. The appearance of quantumness in cat-
state is ‘minimal’ in the sense that even and odd cat-states are, respectively, composed of the even and odd
number states in the oscillator basis [3]. The cat state, being superposition of coherent states, is an eigen state of
the operator aˆ 2, and hence it reverts back to its original form after loss of two photons [9, 10]. This is the so-
called cat-code which is robust against photon loss and is a tool for continuous variable quantum information
processing [11]. SCSs of light fields have been known as a good resource for quantum information processing
such as quantum teleportation [5, 6, 10], quantum computation [11, 12], quantum metrology [13–16] and
fundamental tests of quantum mechanics [17–22]. They also exhibit exciting features as macroscopic quantum
superpositions [23–25]. There are a number of theoretical proposals and experimental implementations [26–30]
for the generation of SCSs. Small SCSs can be amplified to large-size SCSs using beam splitters, on-off
photodetectors, and post-selection.
Recent increased interest in the study of SCSs are due to their interference effects [31]. SCSs can be
constructed by two different methods. In the first method, one can directly superpose different coherent states,
such as even and odd coherent states [17, 32], Titulaer–Glauber states [33], orthogonal-even states and circular
states [34]. In the second method, nonlocal coherent superposition operations acting on the CSs are used
[35–37]. These SCSs exhibit different nonclassicalities characterized in terms of the sub-Poissonian photon
statistics, squeezing, entanglement, etc., which can be utilized as a resource in improving the performance of
quantum information protocols [14, 38]. Nonclassicality of light can also be characterized by using different

© 2021 IOP Publishing Ltd

Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

phase-space probability distributions like Wigner function, Sudarshan-Glauber P-function, and Husimi-Kano
Q-function [39–43].
A natural extension of the SCSs may be the coherent superposition of SCSs with the Fock state in order to
investigate the possible advantage or disadvantage of the Fock state over the conventional SCSs. This fact
motivates us to consider the general superposition of SCSs with the vacuum state (we will abbreviate this state as
SCVS throughout paper) as

∣ yñ = N (∣ añ + e ij∣ e iqañ + g∣ 0) , (1)

where the normalization constant N is given by,

N = [2 + g 2 + 2g exp {- (1 / 2) ∣ a ∣2 } + 2g exp {- (1 / 2) ∣ a ∣2 } cos j

+ 2 cos (j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - (1/ 2) ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )]-1 / 2 , (2)

and the constant g is, in general, a complex quantity but for the simplicity of calculations we consider here it as a
real quantity. There are different proposals and experimental realizations of superposition of coherent states [8,
44–47]. The SCVS can be generated by a controllable method using atom-field interaction in cavity QED and the
beam splitter [48, 49]. One of the possibilities of generation of the SCVS will be discussed later in the manuscript.
With the developments in quantum state engineering [49, 50], production and manipulation of such
quantum states are becoming very important. Different applications of nonclassicality [51–56] and some
experimental observations of higher-order nonclassicality [52, 57–59] have been reported. Recently, squeezed
vacuum state has been successfully used for the detection of the gravitational waves [60] by reducing the
quantum noise. Squeezed states have been successfully employed in continuous variable quantum state
discrimination [54], teleportation of coherent state [61], etc. Amplitude-squared squeezing, a higher-order
version of squeezing, can be converted to the standard lower-order squeezing using an interaction in which the
square of the field amplitude is coupled to the amplitude of another field mode (e.g., second harmonic
generation and certain kinds of four-wave mixing). So, amplitude-squared squeezing is important in achieving
the noise reduction in the output of nonlinear optical devices [62]. Anti-bunching has applications as single
photon sources [63] which are essential for the realization of various schemes for secure quantum
communication. Analogously, higher order antibunching (HOA) is a nonclassical phenomenon where the
probability of getting a bunch of photon is always less than that of getting a bunch of m photon in the radiation
field if n>m [64]. So, the probability of finding a single photon is greater than the two or more photons
implying that a potential single photon source should satisfy the HOA criterion. Another version of higher-order
nonclassicality is the higher-order sub-Poissonian photon statistics (HOSPS) which has applications in
detecting Hong-Mandel type higher-order squeezing and amplitude-squared squeezing [65, 66]. It is important
to note that HOA or HOSPS can be observed even in the absence of the corresponding lower-order
phenomenon. These observations and studies motivated us to study the higher-order nonclassical phenomenon
in our present scenario.
The paper is organized as follows. In section 2, we present the basic notions of the non-classicality in terms of
the quasiprobability distribution functions. In section 3, we discuss the lower- and higher-order nonclassical
properties exhibited by the SCVS such as the second-order squeezing, Hong & Mandel’s fourth-order squeezing,
amplitude-squared squeezing (ASS), sub-Poissonian photon statistics (defined by the Mandel’s Q-parameter),
higher-order (third- and fourth-order) sub-Poissonian photon statistics. In the section 4, we discuss about the
negativity of Wigner function as an indicator of nonclassicality exhibited by the SCVS. In section 5, we discuss
about the possibility of generation of SCVS. In section 6, we summarize and conclude our results.

2. Basic notions of the nonclassicality

Continuous variable states can be conveniently analyzed by using the phase space representations since they
offer understandings into the boundaries between quantum and classical physics. Any quantum state of the
single-mode radiation field described by the density operator, r, ˆ can be fully characterized by the
quasiprobability distribution function defined in the phase space [67]. In the classical phase space, probability
distribution functions are always positive-definite whereas their behavior is not like a true probability
distribution function (i.e., they may not be positive-definite) in the quantum phase space. There are a number of
quasiprobability distribution functions [67, 68], e.g., Wigner function, P-function, Husimi-Kano Q-function,
etc.
Density operator, r,
ˆ of a single-mode radiation can be written in terms of the Glauber-Sudarshan diagonal
coherent state P-representation P (a) as,

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Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

rˆ = ò P (a)∣añáa ∣ d 2a. (3)

A quantum state is said to be non-classical if the P-function ‘is less well behaved than a probability density’, e.g.,
takes on negative values or becomes more singular than a delta function.
The P-, Q-, and Wigner functions follow the normal ordering (annihilation operators to the right, creation
operators to the left), anti-normal ordering (annihilation operators to the left, creation operators to the right),
and symmetric ordering (average of normally-ordered and anti-normal ordered operators) of the bosonic
operators, respectively. So, they allow one to write down the expectation values of operators as integrals of the
corresponding classical quantities weighted by the distribution function corresponding to the state. Thus, with
normal ordering, for a single-mode optical field we have

á (aˆ†)maˆnñ = Tr [rˆ (aˆ†)maˆn] = ò (a*)manP (a) d 2a. (4)

For example, density operator of a coherent state, ∣ a0ñ, is rˆ = ∣ a0ñá a0 ∣ and, so, we can easily find
Tr [rˆ (aˆ†)maˆn] = (a*0 )man0 , which corresponds to P (a) = d (2) (a - a0) in the above integral. Thus, the
P-function of a coherent state may be taken as a delta function. Coherent states lie ‘on the border’ of the set of
‘classical’ states because delta function is the most singular distribution admissible in the classical theory. But the
superposition of coherent states may have negative values of the quasiprobability distribution functions and so
they may exhibit nonclassical behavior.
In general, quasiprobability distribution functions can be parametrized by one real parameter s [67, 69],
2
W (a ; s ) = Tr [rˆ P
ˆ (a ; s )] , (5)
p (1 - s )
where P ˆ (a; s ) = å ¥ ((s + 1) / (s - 1))n ∣a, n > <a, n∣. The state ∣a, n> is the Fock state displaced
n=0
by the complex variable a in the phase space and it is produced by the application of the Glauber displacement
operator Dˆ (a) = exp (aaˆ† - a*aˆ) to the Fock state ∣ nñ. The s-parametrized quasiprobability distribution
function, W (a; s ), becomes the P-function, the Wigner function, and the Q-function when setting s=1, 0,
−1, respectively [69]. Wigner function can be reconstructed using the homodyne tomography technique [70]
and, in the present paper, we will use it to characterize the nonclassicality of states in phase space [71]. The
negativity of Wigner function is a necessary condition for the appearance of nonclassicality of a state [68]. By
1 ˆ ˆ † (a)], where
using equation (3), the Wigner function can be defined as W (a) = Tr [rˆ Dˆ (a) PD
p
Dˆ (a) = exp (aaˆ† - a*aˆ) is the displacement operator and Pˆ = exp (ipaˆ†aˆ) is the photon parity operator. In
contrast to the P function, the Wigner function is a quantum analog of the classical Liouville phase-space
probability function [68]. It is to be noted that the P function can also be used as a witness of nonclassicality of a
state but its subtle mathematical structure makes it hard to reconstruct with the experimental data [68]. We will
focus here to study the behavior of Wigner function of SCVS in order to witness its nonclassicality.

3. Squeezing properties of SCVS

3.1. Quadrature Squeezing

ˆ -iwt + aˆ†e iwt ), where â and â†are the
A quantized single-mode electric field can be expressed as Eˆ (t ) = E 0 (ae
annihilation and creation operators of the radiation, respectively and w is the frequency of radiation. We will use
the caret (^) to express the operator throughout the paper. It is to be noted that the operators â and ↠are not
Hermitian and, so, we define the Hermitian quadrature operator for single-mode radiation as
1
Xˆ J = (aˆ†e iJ + aeˆ -iJ ) for an arbitrary angle J. For J = 0 and J = p /2, the quadrature operators of the
2
single mode field can be written as,
1 1
Xˆ1 = (aˆ† + aˆ) , Xˆ2 = (aˆ - aˆ†) , (6)
2 2i
1
with the commutation relation [Xˆ1, Xˆ2] = i /2 and the uncertainty relation á (DXˆ1)2ñá (DXˆ2)2ñ  . The
16
quadrature squeezing along either of the quadrature Xˆ1 or Xˆ2 is defined by the condition,
i )2ñ = á Xˆ i2ñ - á Xˆ i 2ñ < 1/ 4, (i = 1 or 2).
á (DX (7)
In terms of the normally ordered variance
á : (D
2
X i )2 :ñ = á : Xˆ i :ñ - á : Xˆ i :2 ñ , (i = 1 or 2) , (8)

3
Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

squeezing exists whenever

á : (D
X i )2 : ñ < 0, (i = 1 or 2). (9)
For an arbitrary quadrature operator Xˆ J , the normalized second-order squeezing factor can be defined as
 2J º (4á (DXˆ J)2ñ - 1) = [á aˆ† 2ñ e 2iJ + á aˆ 2ñ e -2iJ + 2á aˆ†aˆñ - (á aˆ†ñ e iJ + á aˆñ e -iJ)2] , (10)
and the squeezing occurs when -1  2J < 0. We can write
1 1
á (DXˆ1)2ñ = á (aˆ + aˆ†)2 - á (aˆ + aˆ†)ñ2 ñ = [á aˆ 2 + aˆ† 2 + 2aˆ†aˆ + 1ñ - á (aˆ + aˆ†)ñ2 ] , (11)
4 4
i.e.,
1
á (DXˆ1)2ñ =
4 { ò
1 + d 2aP (a)[(a + a*) - (á (aˆ + aˆ†)ñ)]2 . }
(12)
1
Then the squeezing, á (DXˆ1)2ñ < , occurs only if P (a) is not positive-definite and, therefore, squeezed states
4
are non-classical in nature. The constant term 1/4 on the right-hand side manifests the quantum character of
the field (‘shot noise’), which comes from the commutator of â and ↠in the process of normal-ordering the
original expression.
With the advancement in the observation of higher-order correlation measurement techniques in quantum
optics, attention noticeably extended to the higher moments of the field also. Hong & Mandel [72] generalized
the concept of higher-order squeezing by considering the Nth order (N is even integer) moments of the
quadrature component. The Nth order moment of Xˆ i in the state ∣ yñ for even N can be written as,
N (2) ⎛⎜ 1 ⎞⎟ N (2) ⎛⎜ 1 ⎞⎟2
á y ∣ (DXˆ i ) N ∣ yñ = á : (DXˆ i ) N :ñ + á : (DXˆ i ) N - 2 :ñ + á : (DXˆ i ) N - 4 :ñ
1! ⎝ 8 ⎠ 2! ⎝ 8 ⎠
⎛ 1 ⎞N / 2
+ ¼ + (N - 1)!! ⎜ ⎟ , (13)
⎝4⎠
where N (r ) = N (N - 1)(N - 2)¼.(N - r + 1). Degree of the squeezing can be characterized by the
parameter
NJ = [á y ∣ (DXˆ i ) N ∣ yñ - (N - 1)!!(1/ 4) N / 2] / (N - 1)!!(1/ 4) N / 2 , (14)
which is negative for the Nth-order squeezing with −1 as the maximum negative value. Also, the squeezing is
said to be intrinsic to Nth order if á: (DXˆ i ) N :ñ<0 [73].
Thus, the fourth-order squeezing [72] of quadrature component Xˆ i in the state ∣ yñ occurs if
3
á y ∣ (DXˆ i )4∣ yñ < , (here N=4), and so on. According to Hong & Mandel, higher-order squeezing can be
16
exploited in all those contexts when second-order squeezing is useful. The normalized fourth-order Hong &
Mandel squeezing factor can be defined as
16 ⎡ 3⎤
4J = ⎢á (DXˆ J) ñ -
4
⎥, (15)
3 ⎣ 16 ⎦
and the fourth-order Hong & Mandel squeezing occurs when -1  4J < 0. For the sake of simplicity, we take
J = 0. Then, we denote as 2 for usual second-order squeezing and 4 for fourth-order Hong & Mandel’s
squeezing. To calculate the normalized squeezing factors 2 and 4, the required expectation values of the
operators are given in the Appendix and using these results, we can now write
 2 = 2N 2 [∣ a ∣2 {cos 2qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 2qa + 2q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 2qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + 2 cos (2q + 2qa)
+ g cos 2qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2) + g cos (2qa + 2q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)}
+ ∣ a ∣2 {1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} - {∣ a ∣{cos qa
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + qa + q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q
+ j - qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (q + qa) + g cos qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)
+ g cos (qa + q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)}}2 ] , (16)
and
16 ⎛⎜ 3 ⎞⎟
4 = s5 - . (17)
3 ⎝ 16 ⎠

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 Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

Here
s1 = N 2∣ a ∣{cos qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + qa + q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (q + qa)
+ g cos qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2) + g cos (qa + q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)}. (18a)
s2 = (1/ 2) N 2 ∣ a ∣2 [{cos 2qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 2qa + 2q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2
+ ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 2qa ) g cos 2qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2
(18b)
+ ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (2q + 2qa) + g cos (2qa + 2q + j) exp ( - 1/ 2 ∣ a ∣2 )} + {1
+ cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}] ,
1
s3 = N 2 ∣ a ∣3 [{cos 3qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 3qa + 3q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
4
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 3qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (3q + 3qa)
+ g cos 3qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2) + g cos (3qa + 3q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)}
+ 3{cos qa+cos (qa + 2q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos ( - qa
+ q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (q + qa)}] , (18c )
⎡1
s4 = N 2 ∣ a ∣4 ⎢ {cos 4qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 4qa + 4q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
⎣8
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 4qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (4q + 4qa)
+ g cos 4qa exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2) + g cos (4qa + 4q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 / 2)}
+ 2{cos 2qa + cos (2qa + 3q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
+ cos ( - 2qa + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (2q
+ 2qa)} + 3{1 + cos (2q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) , (18d )
3 3
s5 = + s4 + 6s2 (s1)2 - 3(s1)4 - 4s3 s1 + (s2 - (s1)2). (18e )
16 2
To study the squeezing exhibited by the state SCVS in terms of the squeezing factors 2 and 4, by using
equation (16) & (17), we can visualize the squeezing (both the second- and fourth-order) under different
conditions.
In figure 1(a), using equation (16), we investigate the variation of 2 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g. Here
we choose qa = 0, q = p /4, and j = 0 as a simplest case. We can see that squeezing occurs for lower values of
∣ a ∣2 for all of the values of g (=0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.0, −0.4, 0.8, −1.0). For = 0, the 2 becomes more negative (more
squeezing) as we increase ∣ a ∣2 but squeezing decreases after ∣ a ∣2 = 1.6 and gradually diminishes after
∣ a ∣2 = 2.4. At g = 0, squeezing (2<0) is less as compared to that for the cases of g >0 and g <0 upto the
∣ a ∣2 = 1.6. But for ∣ a ∣2  1.6, squeezing (2<0) is present only in case of g = 0. For g >0, the squeezing
(2<0) is rapidly weakening whatever be the value of ∣ a ∣2 . For g <0, the squeezing (2<0) is increasing as
we decrease the value of ∣ a ∣2 . For g =−1.0, we can see that the squeezing (2<0) is present for the lower
values of ∣ a ∣2 and maximum squeezing (i. e., minimum 2) is found at ∣ a ∣2=0.2. The more the negative value
of g, squeezing occurs at lower values of ∣ a ∣2 with a decreased amount. Further, the greater amount of squeezing
occurs at lower intensities ∣ a ∣2 for g <0 as compared to that for g >0 but for the larger values of ∣ a ∣2 , the
amount of squeezing is greater for g >0 as compared to that for g <0.
In figure 1(b), we investigate the variation of 4 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g. Here qa = 0, q = p /4,
and j = 0 in order to compare the results for the occurrence of 2<0 under the same conditions. We can see
the similar variation of 4 as seen in the case of 2 given in figure 1(a) but with lower values of ∣ a ∣2 and 4 < 2,
i. e., and 4 is more negative as compared to the 2. On comparison of figures 1(a) and (b), we can see that
amount of fourth-order squeezing (4 ) is greater than that of the second-order squeezing (2). So, the fourth-
order squeezing is remnant part of the second-order squeezing [74] which means that higher-order squeezing
may be present, although the lower-order of the squeezing is absent in a particular case. It means that g ¹ 0 can
be exploited for the existence of squeezing (both the lower- and higher-orders).
In figure 2(a), we see the variation of 2 with j for different values of g. Here, we consider qa = 0, q = p /4,
and ∣ a ∣ = 1.2. Squeezing (2<0) occurs for g =0, 0.2, −0.2, 0.4, −0.4 when 0  j  3p /8 and
p  j  2p. At j = 5p /4, we can get more squeezing (2<0) for g =0.2 as compared to the case g =0.
Similarly, at j = p /8, we can get more squeezing (2<0) for g =−0.2 as compared to the case g =0. In the
region 0  j  3p /8, greater amount of squeezing is obtained for g =−0.2 as compared to the case g =0.2
and the amount of squeezing for g =0 is in between these two cases, i.e., ∣ 2∣g =-0.2 > ∣ 2∣g = 0 > ∣ 2∣g = 0.2 in
the region 0  j  3p /8. In the region 9p /8  j  12p /8, greater amount of squeezing is obtained for
g =0.2 as compared to the case g =−0.2 and the amount of squeezing for g =0 is in between these two
cases, i. e., ∣ 2∣g = 0.2 > ∣ 2∣g = 0 > ∣ 2∣g =-0.2 in the region 9p /8  j  12p /8. Further, at j = 2p, the greater

5
Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

Figure 1. (a). Variation of  2 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0. (b). Variation of 4 with ∣ a ∣2 for
different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0.

amount of squeezing is obtained for the case g = -0.2 as compared to the cases g = 0 and g = 0.2, i.e.,
∣ 2∣g =-0.2 > ∣ 2∣g = 0 > ∣ 2∣g = 0.2 at j = 2p. This shows the importance of our state given in equation (1) as for
as the non-zero values g are concerned. In figure 2(b), we see the variation of 4 with j for different values of g.
Here qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣ = 1.2. The squeezing for g =0 is greater as compared to both the cases g >0
and g <0 for all values of j, i.e., ∣ 2∣g = 0 > ∣ 2∣g > 0, g < 0 for all values of j. However, for lower intensities (let

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Figure 2. (a). Variation of  2 with j for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, ∣ a ∣2 = 1.2. (b). Variation of 4 with j for
different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, ∣ a ∣2 = 1.2.

us choose qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣ = 0.8), behavior of 4 is different for different values of g, i.e.,
∣ 4∣g = 0.2 > ∣ 4∣g = 0 > ∣ 4∣g =-0.2 as is the case for 2 shown in figure 1(b). For qa = 0, q = p /4, and
∣ a ∣ = 1.2. , at j = 0, maximum fourth-order squeezing (i.e., minimum 4 ) occurs for g = 0 and eventually
the fourth-order squeezing diminishes after j = 3p /8 for all values of g. Again, after j = 9p /8, the fourth-
order squeezing evolves for all g but again the maximum fourth-order squeezing is observed for g =0. On
comparing figures 2(a) and (b), we can see that amount of fourth-order squeezing is always greater than that of
the second-order squeezing under similar conditions which confirms again that the fourth-order squeezing is
remnant part of the second-order squeezing.

3.2. Amplitude-Squared Squeezing (ASS)

Hillery [75] formulated the so-called ASS, another version of higher-order single-mode squeezing, in terms of
real and imaginary parts of the square of the amplitude. To define ASS, we consider two Hermitian operators,
Yˆ1,2 defined by Yˆ1 + iYˆ2 = aˆ 2, i. e., Yˆ1 = (1/2)(aˆ† 2 + aˆ 2), Yˆ2 = (i /2)(aˆ† 2 - aˆ 2) and the corresponding
mmutation relation is [Yˆ1, Yˆ2] = i (2aˆ†aˆ + 1). A quantum state exhibits ASS when the condition
á (DYˆ1)2ñ < á aˆ†aˆ + ½ñ or á (DYˆ2)2ñ < á aˆ†aˆ + ½ñ is fulfilled. In general, for the radiation described by the
density operator, r, ˆ the ASS factor can be defined as Yf = Tr (rˆ (Yˆf - á Yˆf ñ)2) - (Tr (rˆ aˆ†aˆ) + ½), where
Yˆf = (1/2)(aˆ e + aˆ 2e-if ). Minimum value of Yf is
† 2 if

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Figure 3. (a). Variation of Y (ASS) with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0. (b). Variation of Y (ASS) with j
for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0, ∣ a ∣2 = 4.

1 1
Yf, min = - ∣á aˆ 4ñ - á aˆ 2ñ2 ∣ + (á aˆ† 2aˆ 2ñ - á aˆ†ñ2 á aˆñ2 ) , (19)
2 2

and the condition for occurrence of ASS is Yf, min <0. Normalized condition for ASS is

Y = Yf, min / [Tr (rˆ aˆ†aˆ) + (1/ 2)] , (20)

and the ASS occurs when -1  Y < 0. For the state SCVS under investigation in the present paper, we can
calculate the required expectation values for ASS as given in the Appendix.
From figures 3(a) and (b), using equation (20), we can see the occurrence of ASS (-1  Y < 0) under
different conditions. From figure 3(a), we plot the variation of Y with ∣ a ∣2 and we fix the values qa = 0,
q = p /4 and j = 0. We can see that ASS occurs strongly as we increase ∣ a ∣2 and reaches minimum value of Y
(i.e., strongest ASS) when ∣ a ∣2 = 2 and disappear after ∣ a ∣2 = 3. Again, ASS gradually appears within the
ranges 6.3  ∣ a ∣2  12.2, 16.3  ∣ a ∣2  21.2 but beyond these higher values of ∣ a ∣2 , ASS disappears. We can
see that the maximum ASS (i.e., minimum value of Y ) occurs when g > 0 contrary to the behavior of 2 and
4 for which minimum values occur when g < 0. Although, ASS is dominating for g = 0 as compared to
that for the cases g > 0 and g < 0 when 0.6 < ∣ a ∣2 < 1.4 when values qa = 0, q = p /4 and j = 0. This
reflects the fact ASS is a different phenomenon as compared to that of 2 and 4 [65, 66]. To get more insight
about the occurrence of ASS, we plot the variation of Y with j for different values of g and with fixed value of
qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣2 = 2 as given in figure 3(b). For this, we can see that ASS occurs (-1  Y < 0)
when j Î (p 2, 7p 4) and maximum ASS (i.e., minimum Y ) is achievable for g = 0.2. It is to be noted that,

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as seen in figure 3(a), ASS appears to occur upto about ∣ a ∣2 = 25 and beyond this value of ∣ a ∣2 it disappears. It
implies that ASS appears in the low intensity cases.

3.3. Higher order sub-Poissonian photon statistics

Mandel’s Q-parameter [43] can be used as a natural measure of the departure of the variance of the photon
number n from the Poisson distribution (for which Q=0, for instance, the light beam in coherent state).
Mandel’s Q- parameter becomes positive for any classical light which has the photon number variance larger
than the average photon number. Specifically, Mandel’s Q-parameter becomes negative if the photon number
variance is less than the average photon number and corresponding light has been classified as the nonclassical
light. This Q-parameter can be generalized to higher orders also and will be termed as higher-order sub-
Poissonian photon statistics [65, 66]. All Q’s being negative signify the presence of sub-Poissonian photon
statistics of that order. Sub-Poissonian photon statistics of optical field of second-order (described by well-
known Mandel Q-parameter [76]), third-order and fourth-order can be defined in terms of the normalized
Q-parameters [65, 66] as written below, respectively:
Q 2 º (á (Dnˆ)2ñ - n¯ ) / n,
¯ (21)
Q3 º á (nˆ (Dnˆ)2ñ- n2 ¯ - n¯) / (n 2¯ + n¯) , (22)
Q4 º (á (Dnˆ)4ñ - 3nˆ 2 - n¯) / (3n2 ¯ + n¯). (23)
Here,
á (nˆ (Dnˆ)2ñ = á nˆ3ñ + á nˆñ3 - 2á nˆ 2ñá nˆñ , (24)
á (Dnˆ)4ñ = á nˆ 4ñ - 3á nˆñ4 + 6á nˆñ2 á nˆ 2ñ - 4á nˆ3ñá nˆñ , (25)
n¯ = á nˆñ = á aˆ†aˆñ , (26)
á nˆ 2ñ = á aˆ†aˆñ + á aˆ† 2aˆ 2ñ , (27)
á nˆ3ñ = á aˆ†aˆñ + 3á aˆ† 2aˆ 2ñ + á aˆ† 3aˆ3ñ , (28)
á nˆ 4ñ = á aˆ†aˆñ + 7á aˆ† 2aˆ 2ñ + 6á aˆ† 3aˆ3ñ + á aˆ† 4aˆ 4ñ , (29)
á aˆ† 3aˆ3ñ =2 N2 ∣ a ∣6 [1 + cos (j + 3q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )] , (30)
á aˆ† 4aˆ 4ñ =2 N2 ∣ a ∣8 [1 + cos (j + 4q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )] , (31)
Q 2 = ∣ a ∣2 [1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (2q + f + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )] - Q(2i) / Q(2ii) . (32)
Here
Q(2i) = 2N 2 ∣ a ∣2 [1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (q + f + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )]2 , (33)
Q(2ii) = [1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (q + f + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )]. (34)
Again,
Q3 = (Q3(i ) + Q3(ii ) - Q3(iii ) - Q3(iv ) - Q3(v )) / Q3(v ), (35)
where
Q3(i ) = 2 N 2 ∣ a ∣2 {(1 + 3 ∣ a ∣2 ) + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )[cos (q + j+
(36)
+ ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) + 3 ∣ a ∣2 cos (2q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )]},
Q3(ii ) = 2N 2 ∣ a ∣6 {1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (3q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )}
+ 16 N 8 ∣ a ∣8 {1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )}4 , (37)
Q3(iii ) = 8 N 4 ∣ a ∣4 [1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cosq ) cos (q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )]2 , (38)
Q3(iv ) = 8 N 4 ∣ a ∣6 [{1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (2q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )}
{1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) cos (q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q )}] , (39)
Q3(v ) =2 N2 ∣ a ∣2 [1
+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣2
+ ∣ a ∣2
cos q ) cos (q + j + sin q} ∣ a ∣2
+ 4 N ∣ a ∣ {1 + exp ( - ∣ a ∣ + ∣ a ∣ cos q ) cos (q + j + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ).
4 4 2 2 (40)
Q4 = (Q4(i ) - Q4(ii ) - Q4(iii ) - Q4(iv )) / Q4(iv ), (41)

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where
Q4(i ) = 2 N 2 ∣ a ∣2 [{1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} + 7 ∣ a ∣2 {1
+ cos (j + 2q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} + 6 ∣ a ∣4 {1 + cos (j + 3q
+ ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} + ∣ a ∣6 {1 + cos (j + 4q
+ ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}] , (42)

Q4(ii ) = 16N 6 ∣ a ∣6 [3N 2 ∣ a ∣2 {1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}4

- 3{1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}3 - 3 ∣ a ∣2 {1
+ cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}2 {1 + cos (j + 2q
+ ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}] , (43)

Q4(iii ) = 16N 4 ∣ a ∣4 [{1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}2 + 3 ∣ a ∣2

{1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} {1 + cos (j + 2q
+ ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} + ∣ a ∣4 {1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp
( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}{1 + cos (j + 3q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}, (44)

= 2N 2 ∣ a ∣2 {1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}[6N 2 ∣ a ∣2

Q4(iv )
{1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )} + 1]. (45)
Here (Dnˆ)2 is the photon number variance, Dnˆ = nˆ - nˆ , nˆ is the average photon number, and ... stands for
the trace over the density operator r̂ of the optical radiation of interest.
We plot Q2, given by equation (32), with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g as given in figure 4(a) and we fix the
values qa = 0, q = p /4 and j = 0. We can see that minimum value of Q2 (i.e., maximum second-order sub-
Poissonian character) is obtained for g = -1 and ∣ a ∣2 = 1. As we increase the value of g, the sub-Poissonian
character diminishes in between ∣ a ∣2 = 2.3 and ∣ a ∣2 = 5.0. After this, the sub-Poissonian character evolves
upto ∣ a ∣2 = 10. Here the minimum value of Q2 appears for g = 0 and ∣ a ∣2 = 7.2. It is to be noted that the
second-order sub-Poissonian character exhibited by the SCVS state is always stronger when g < 0 as
compared to that of when g > 0, whatever be the value of ∣ a ∣2 . To look more insights about the behavior of Q2
for the SCVS state, we plot Q2 versus j with different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣ = 1 as shown
in figure 4(b). We can see from this plot that minimum value of Q2 (i.e., maximum second-order sub-
Poissonian character) occurs for g = -1 at j = 0 and 2p. At j = 0, Q2 < 0 (i.e., sub-Poissonian
character exists) when g > 0 but it is always weaker as compared to the case when g < 0.
We plot Q3, given by equation (35), with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g as given in figure 5(a) and we fix the
values qa = 0, q = p /4 and j = 0. We can see that minimum value of Q3 (i.e., maximum third-order sub-
Poissonian character) is obtained for g = -1 and ∣ a ∣2 = 0.5. As we increase the value of g, the third-order
sub-Poissonian character diminishes in between ∣ a ∣2 = 1.8 and ∣ a ∣2 = 4.5. After this, the third-order sub-
Poissonian character evolves upto ∣ a ∣2 = 9.5. Here the minimum value of Q3 appears for g = 0 and
∣ a ∣2 = 6.5. It is to be noted that third-order sub-Poissonian character exhibited by the SCVS state is always
stronger when g < 0 as compared to that of when g > 0, whatever be the value of ∣ a ∣2 . To look more
insights about the behavior of Q3 for the SCVS state, we plot Q3 versus j with different values of g for qa = 0,
q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣ = 1 as shown in figure 5(b). We can see from this plot that minimum value of Q3 (i.e.,
maximum third-order sub-Poissonian character) occurs for g = -1 at j = 0 and 2p. At j = 0, Q3 < 0
(i.e., third-order sub-Poissonian character exists) when g > 0 but it is always weaker as compared to the case
when g < 0.
We plot Q4, given by equation (41), with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g as given in figure 6(a) and we fix the
values qa = 0, q = p /4 and j = 0. We can see that minimum value of Q4 (i.e., maximum fourth-order sub-
Poissonian character) is obtained for g = -1 and ∣ a ∣2 = 0.2. As we increase the value of g, the fourth-order
sub-Poissonian character diminishes in between ∣ a ∣2 = 1.6 and ∣ a ∣2 = 4.6. After this, the fourth-order sub-
Poissonian character evolves upto ∣ a ∣2 = 9. Here the minimum value of Q4 appears for g = 0 and
∣ a ∣2 = 7. It is to be noted that fourth-order sub-Poissonian character exhibited by the SCVS state is always
stronger when g < 0 as compared to that of when g > 0, whatever be the value of ∣ a ∣2 . But, the fourth-order
sub-Poissonian character exhibited by the SCVS state gets stronger when g = 0 as compared to that of when
g < 0 when the value of ∣ a ∣2 is in between 6.2 to 9.0. To look more insights about the behavior of Q4 for the
SCVS state, we plot Q4 versus j with different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣ = 1 as shown in
figure 6(b). We can see from this plot that minimum value of Q4 (i.e., maximum fourth-order sub-Poissonian
character) occurs for g = -1 at j = 0 and 2p. At j = 0, Q4 < 0 (i.e., fourth-order sub-Poissonian
character exists) when g > 0 but it is always weaker as compared to the case when g < 0. Further, we can see
from figures (4)–(6) that ∣ Q4 ∣ > ∣ Q3 ∣ > ∣ Q2 ∣ always, i.e., higher-order sub-Poissonian statistics are the
remnant part of lower order of the sub-Poissonian photon statistics. It can be seen that there are several instances

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Figure 4 . (a). Variation of Q 2 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0. (b). Variation of Q 2 with j for
different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, ∣ a ∣2 = 1.

where sub-Poissonian photon statistics of all orders (Q2, Q3 , Q4 ) are dominating for g = 0 and, also, for
g ¹ 0. This confirms that the g (¹ 0) plays role in exhibiting the sub-Poissonian photon statistics strongly
under some conditions as compared to the case g = 0.

4. Wigner quasi-probability distribution function

In this section, we study the nonclassical behavior exhibited by the SCVS in terms of the negativity of the Wigner
function [67]. Wigner function has showed the interesting possibility of a phase-space distribution for a
quantum system. It is defined as [68, 70],

1
W (h ) =
p2 ò d 2Tr (rˆ Dˆ (b )) exp(-bh* + b*h) (46)

where W(η) is a real function normalized to the unity. By using equation (46), Wigner function of the SCVS state
given by equation (1) can be written as

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Figure 5. (a). Variation of Q3 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0. (b). Variation of Q3 with for different
values of g for qa = 0, q = p /4, ∣ a ∣2 = 1.

N2
W (h ) = [W∣ añ (h ) + W∣ ae iqñ (h ) + g 2W∣ 0ñ (h ) + Wm (h ) + gWe (h )]. (47)
2
The terms W∣ añ (h ), W∣ aeiqñ (h ) and W∣ 0ñ (h ) are the Wigner functions of single coherent states and vacuum state,
respectively. By using the standard result [77]
p ⎛- Vxh + x 2g + h 2f ⎞
ò d 2z exp (V + xz + hz* + fz 2 + gz*2) =
V 2 - 4fg
exp ⎜
⎝ V 2 - 4fg
⎟,
⎠
(48)

we have
2
W∣ añ (h ) = exp [ - 2(∣ a ∣2 + ∣ h ∣2 - a*h - h*a)] , (49)
p
2
W∣ ae iqñ = exp [ - 2(∣ a ∣2 + ∣ h ∣2 - e -iqa*h - e iqah*)] , (50)
p
2
W∣ 0ñ (h ) = exp ( - 2 ∣ h ∣2 ). (51)
p

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Figure 6. (a). Variation of Q4 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of g. Here qa = 0, q = p /4, j = 0. (b). Variation of Q4 with j for
different values of g. Here qa = 0, q = p /4, and ∣ a ∣2 = 1.

The other terms of equation (47) are,

1
Wm (h ) =
p2 ò exp(-bh* + b*h) ån án ∣(∣añáe iqa ∣+∣ae iqñáa ∣)
exp (baˆ† - b*aˆ)∣ nñ d 2b (52)
and
1
We (h ) =
p2 ò exp(-bh* + b*h) ån án ∣(∣añá0∣+e ij∣ae iqñá0∣+∣0ñáa ∣+e ij∣0ñáae iq ∣)
exp (baˆ† - b*aˆ)∣ nñ d 2b (53)
which represent the interference between coherent states and the vacuum states, respectively. Then, the Wigner
function of SCVS state can be written as
2N 2
W (h ) = (W1 + W2 + W3 + W4 + W5 + W6) (54)
p

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Figure 7. (a). Variation of W (h ) with y1 and y2 for x1 = x2 = 1, g = -1, qa = 0, q = p /4 and j = p /4. (b). Variation of W (h )
with y1 and y2 for x1 = x2 = 3, g = -1, qa = 0, q = p /4, and j = p /4 . (c). Variation of W (h ) with y1 for different g. Here
x1 = x2 = 1, y2 = 0 = qa, j = p /4 = q. (d). Variation of W (h ) with y1 for different j. Here x1 = x2 = 1, y2 = 0 = qa,
g = -1, q = p /4.

where
W1 = exp [ - 2{x1 2 + x2 2 + y12 + y22 - 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2)}] (55)
W2 = 2 exp [ - (x12 + x 22) - (x12 + x 22) cos q - 2( y12 + y22) + 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2)
+ 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2) cos q + 2(x1 y2 - x2 y1) sin q ] cos [j - (x12 + x 22) sin q
+ 2(x1 y2 - x2 y1) + 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2) sin q - 2(x1 y2 - x2 y1) cos q ] (56)
⎡ 1 ⎤
W3 = 2g exp ⎢ - (x1 2 + x 22) - 2( y12 + y22) + 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2) ⎥ os [2(x1 y2 - x2 y1)] (57)
⎣ 2 ⎦
W4 = exp [ - 2(x1 2 + x 22) - 2( y + y )
+ 4(x1 y1 + x2 y2) cos q + 4(x1 y2 - x2 y1) sin q ] (58)
⎡ 1
W5 = 2g exp ⎢ - (x1 2 + x 22) - 2(y12 + y22) + 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2) cos q
⎣ 2
+ 2(x1 y2 - x2 y1) sin q ] cos [j + 2(x1 y1 + x2 y2) sin q - 2(x1 y2 - x2 y1) cos q ] (59)
W6 = g 2 exp [ - 2( y +)]. (60)
Here we have introduced a = x1 + ix2 and h = y1 + iy2.
The Wigner function for the state SCVS as given in equation (54) can be plotted under different conditions.
In figures 7(a) and (b), the three Gaussian bells represent the Wigner functions corresponding to the two
coherent states and the vacuum state constituting the SCVS state. The other structures in these two plots are the
result of quantum interference between the states ∣ añ, ∣ ae iqñ, and ∣ 0ñ. We can clearly see that the bell of the
vacuum state is located at (0,0) in phase space and the two bells of coherent states are symmetric with respect to
the reflection y1 « -y1. Any two bells and the interference structure are separated slowly with the increase of a.
The frequency of the interference structure increase with the separation in the phase space. Wigner function for
the state SCVS is clearly enough to reflect the different features of quantum interference with the superposition
of two coherent states with vacuum. From these two figures 7(a) and (b), we can see that as we increase the

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intensity of radiation in terms of (x1, x2), we can see more hills and dips in the corresponding Wigner function.
The negative values of the Wigner function in the phase space is an indicator of the nonclassicality exhibited by
the SCVS state. To get more insights about the nonclassicality in terms of the negativity of the Wigner function of
SCVS, we plot two-dimensional graphs under different conditions. First, we see the variation of W (h ) versus y1
for different values of g with x1 = x2 = 1, y2 = 0, qa = 0, q = p /4, and j = p /4 as shown in figure 7(c).
We can see that minimum value of the Wigner function exists for g = -0.5 at y1 = 0. There is negativity of
the Wigner functions for positive values of g but weaker as compared to that for the negative g. Further, we see
the variation of W (h ) versus y1 for different values of j with x1 = x2 = 1, y2 = 0, qa = 0, q = p /4, and
g = -1 as shown in figure 7(d). We can see that minimum value of the Wigner function exists for j = p /4 at
y1 = 0 and the negativity of the Wigner functions gradually diminishes for all j as we go y1 < -1
or y1 > 0.6.

5. Proposal for generation of the SCVS

As we have discussed in the introduction, there are a number of schemes for the generation of superposed
coherent states. Here, we propose an alternate scheme for the generation of SCVS,
∣ yñ = N (∣ añ + ∣ iañ + g∣ 0ñ), as given in equation (1) by using the linear optical circuits and cross-Kerr non-
linearity. We start with a single photon state ∣ 1ñ injected in the input mode ‘a’ of the beam splitter (BS1) having
transmittivity ‘T’ and reflectivity ‘R’ such that R+T = 1. The other input port ‘b’ of the BS1 is vacuum, then the
output of BS1 is
Bˆ ∣ 1, 0ñab = T ∣ 1, 0ñcd + R ∣ 0, 1ñcd , (61)
where we have supposed that the phase difference between transmitted and reflected beams of BS1 has a phase
shift of π. Here, the subscripts c & d correspond to the output modes of the BS1 and B̂ is the beam splitter
transformation operator. Now, we pass the mode ‘c’ through a symmetric beam splitter BS2 with R=T=½
and the transformed state (the other input mode ‘e’ of BS2 is vacuum) is now,
Bˆcd ∣ yñ = (T / 2) (∣ 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ 0, 1, 0ñ)fgd + R ∣ 0, 0, 1ñfgd
(T / 2) [(∣ 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ 0, 1, 0ñ)fgd + (2R / T ) ∣ 0, 0, 1ñ]fgd . (62)
Let us take g = (2R /T ) and we write,
∣ yñfgd = N [(∣ 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ 0, 1, 0ñ)fgd + g ∣ 0, 0, 1ñfgd ]. (63)
Now, we consider another mode ‘h’ in a coherent state ∣ añh along with mode ‘fgd’ and follow these steps:

(i) We pass mode ‘h’ and ‘f’ through a ‘cross-Kerr medium (CKM1)’ with the Hamiltonian Hˆ = e iqNˆh Nˆf , where
Nˆh and Nˆf represent the photon number operator for modes ‘h’ and ‘f’, respectively. Introducing a phase
shift of ‘ p ’ in mode ‘h’ because of single photon in mode ‘f’, the mode ‘h’ and ‘f’ will transform to the modes
‘i’ and ‘j’. Then, the output state is,
∣ yñijgd = N [∣ - a , 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ a , 0, 1, 0ñ + + g∣ a , 0, 0, 1ñ]ijgd . (64)

(ii) (ii) We again pass mode ‘i’ and ‘g’ through another CKM2 but this time phase shift of p /2 is created in ∣ a.
Let the modes ‘i’ and ‘g’ transformed to the modes ‘k’ and ‘l’, the final state
is ∣ yñk lg d = N [∣-a, 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ a, 0, 1, 0ñ + g∣ ia, 0, 0, 1ñ]k lg d .

(iii) We now displace the mode ‘k’ by -ia, i.e., we operate mode ‘k’ by Dˆ (-ia), where D̂ (a) is the displacement
operator. We get ∣ yñk ¢jld = N [∣-a (1 + i ), 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ a (1 - i ), 0, 1, 0ñ + g∣ 0, 0, 0, 1ñ]k ¢jld ,
where mode k transforms to the mode k’ due to the displacement.
(iv) We shift the phase of k ¢ by q = 3p /4 via phase shifter PS. With this, the mode k ¢ get transformed to the
modes k  and the output state becomes

∣ yñk  jld = N [∣ 2 a , 1, 0, 0ñ + ∣ i 2 a , 0, 1, 0ñ + g∣ 0, 0, 0, 1ñ]k  jld . (65)

Finally, if we perform a von Neumann measurement (VNM) [78] in ∣ ñ = (1/ 2 )(∣ 0ñ  ∣ 1ñ) basis on the
mode j, l and d and if the outcome is ∣+ñ in all three modes, the state in mode “ collapses into the required state,
∣ yñk  = N [∣ 2 añ + ∣ i 2 añ + g∣ 0ñ]k  , (66)

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Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

Figure 8. A schematic diagram for the generation of SCVS. Here, BS1 & BS2 are the beam splitters; CKM1 & CKM2 are the cross-Kerr
media; Dˆ (-ia)describes the displacement operator; PS is the phase shifter; and VNM is the von Neumann Measurement.

where g = 2 RT is a variable parameter depending on the nature of BS1. The schematic diagram of this
proposal is given in figure 8. In this way, we can generate the SCVS by using the linear optics and cross-Kerr
interaction.

6. Discussions and conclusions

We investigated the variation of S2 and S4 with ∣ a ∣2 for SCVS with different values of γ as shown in figures 1(a),
(b), 2(a), and (b). We found that the SCVS can show the greater amount of squeezing (S2<0) for γ<0 as
compared to that for γ>0 at lower intensities ∣ a ∣2 but as we increase the intensity ∣ a ∣2 , amount of squeezing is
greater for γ>0 as compared to that for γ<0. We find that S4 is more negative as compared to the S2. Further,
fourth-order squeezing (S4) is larger than that of the second-order squeezing (S2) implying that the fourth-order
squeezing is remnant part of the second-order squeezing [74]. It means that γ≠0 can be exploited for the
existence of squeezing (both the lower- and higher-orders).
We studied the variation of ASS (−1„Y<0) for the SCVS under different conditions as shown in
figures 3(a) and (b). We find that ASS occurs strongly as we increase ∣ a ∣2 for non-zero value of γ. In contrast to
the behavior of S2 and S4 for which minimum values occur when γ<0, maximum amount of ASS (i.e.,
minimum value of Y) occurs when γ>0 implying that ASS is a different phenomenon as compared to that of S2
and S4 [65, 66].
Further, we studied the variation of Q2,3,4 with ∣ a ∣2 for different values of γ under different scenarios as
shown in figures (4)–(6). We find that higher-order sub-Poissonian statistics are the remnant part of lower order
of the sub-Poissonian photon statistics (i.e., Q4, Q3, Q2) It has also been seen that there are several instances
where sub-Poissonian photon statistics of all orders (Q2, Q3, Q4) are dominating for γ=0 as well as for γ≠0.
As a nonclassicality witness of the SCVS, we study the behavior of Wigner function for the state SCVS as
shown in figure (7). We can see that the Wigner function of SCVS is of non-Gauusian structure which is the
result of quantum interference between the states ∣ añ, ∣ ae iqñ, and ∣ 0ñ. Wigner distributions for the state SCVS
are indicating different features of quantum interference with the superposition of two coherent states with
vacuum. The negative values of the Wigner function in the phase space are an indicator of the nonclassicality
exhibited by the SCVS state. We have also proposed the schematic of generation of SCVS by using the linear
optics and cross-Kerr interaction. Although our proposal is probabilistic but it can, in principle, be implemented
in quantum optics laboratory. Detailed study of the measurement procedure is beyond the scope of the
present work.
In conclusion, we discussed the effect of tunable parameters (f, θ, γ) on the different non-classical properties
like squeezing, ASS, sub-Poissonian photon statistics, and Wigner function of the state SCVS given by
equation (1). We find that the state SCVS can exhibit different non-classical properties depending on these
tunable parameters. The tunable parameters (f, θ, γ) govern the superposition of coherent states with vacuum at
different positions in the phase space and results the quantum interference among ∣ añ, ∣ e iqañ and ∣ 0ñ.
Dependence on the relative phase in the quantum superposition and the relative phase between two coherent
states both change the quantum interference and, so, our state SCVS combines these two types of interferences

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Phys. Scr. 96 (2021) 045102 K K Mishra et al

and exhibit nonclassicalities under different scenarios as discussed above. So, in conclusion, our study may be of
importance in the application of SCVS state as an important resource in quantum information processing.

Acknowledgments

KKM and DKM acknowledges financial support under EMR project (EMR/2016/001694) from SERB, New
Delhi. DY acknowledges financial support from UGC for UGC Research Fellowship. DKM and GS
acknowledges financial support under DST-DAAD project (DST/INT/DAAD/P-4/2019). Authors are
thankful to Mr Ravi Kamal Pandey for his fruitful suggestions about the generation of state SCVS.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request from the authors.

Appendix

Expectation values of the different operators required for our calculations for the state given by equation (1) are
the following:

(á aˆñ + á aˆ†ñ) = á y ∣(aˆ + aˆ†)∣ yñ

= 2N 2∣ a ∣{cos qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + qa + q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
+ cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - qa) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )
+ cos (q + qa) + g cos qa exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 ) + g cos (qa + q + j)
exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 )} , (A.1)

á aˆ†aˆñ = á y ∣(aˆ†aˆ)∣ yñ
2N 2 ∣ a ∣2 {1 + cos (j + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q ) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}, (A.2)

aˆ 2 = N 2 ∣ a ∣2 [exp (2iqa) + exp (2iqa + 2iq )

⎛ 1 ⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
+ g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp (2iqa) + g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp (2iqa + 2iq + ij)
⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠
+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) exp (2iqa + 2iq + ij + i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )
+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) exp (2iqa - ij - i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )] , (A.3)

aˆ† 2 = N 2 ∣ a ∣2 [exp ( - 2iqa) + exp ( - 2iqa - 2iq )

⎛ 1 ⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
+ g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp ( - 2iqa) + g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp ( - 2iqa - 2iq - ij)
⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠
+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣ + ∣ a ∣ cos q ) exp ( - 2iqa - 2iq - ij - i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )
2 2

+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) exp ( - 2iqa + ij + i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )] , (A.4)

(á aˆ 2ñ + á (aˆ†)2ñ) = á y ∣(aˆ 2 + (aˆ†)2)∣ yñ

= 2N 2 ∣ a ∣2 (cos 2qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 2qa + 2q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 2qa )
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (2q + 2qa)+
g cos 2qa exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 ) + g cos (2qa + 2q + j)
exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 )} , (A.5)

(á aˆ3ñ + á (aˆ†)3ñ) = á y ∣(aˆ3 + (aˆ†)3)∣ yñ

= 2N 2 ∣ a ∣3 {cos 3qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 3qa + 3q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 3qa)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (3q + 3qa)
+ g cos 3qa exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 )
+ g cos (3qa + 3q + j) exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 )}, (A.6)

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(á aˆ†aˆ 2ñ + á aˆ† 2aˆñ) = á y ∣(aˆ†aˆ 2 + aˆ† 2aˆ)∣ yñ

= 2N 2 ∣ a ∣3 {cosqa + cos (qa + 2q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos ( - qa + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (q + qa)} , (A.7)
⎡ ⎛ 1 ⎞
aˆ 4 = N 2 ∣ a ∣4 ⎢exp (4iqa) + exp (4iqa + 4iq ) + g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp (4iqa)
⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠
⎛ 1 ⎞
+ g exp ⎜ - ∣ a ∣2 ⎟ exp (4iqa + 4iq + ij) + exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cosq )
⎝ 2 ⎠
exp (4iqa + 4iq + ij + i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )
+ exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) exp (4iqa - ij - i ∣ a ∣2 sin q )] , (A.8)
(á aˆ 4ñ + á (aˆ†)4ñ) = á y ∣(aˆ 4+ (aˆ†)4)∣ yñ
= 2N 2∣ a ∣4 {cos 4qa + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + 4qa + 4q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (∣ a ∣2 sin q + j - 4qa)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (4q + 4qa) + g cos 4qa
exp ( - 1 2 ∣ a ∣2 ) + g cos (4qa + 4q + j) exp ( - 1/ 2 ∣ a ∣2 )} , (A.9)
(á aˆ†aˆ3ñ + á aˆ† 3aˆñ) = á y ∣(aˆ†aˆ3 + aˆ† 3aˆ)∣ yñ
= 2N 2 2qa + cos (2qa + 3q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j)
∣ a ∣4 {cos
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos ( - 2qa + q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j)
exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q ) + cos (2q + 2qa)}, (A.10)
and
á aˆ† 2aˆ 2ñ = á y ∣(aˆ† 2aˆ 2)∣ yñ
2N 2 ∣ a ∣4 {1 + cos (2q + ∣ a ∣2 sin q + j) exp ( - ∣ a ∣2 + ∣ a ∣2 cos q )}. (A.11)

ORCID iDs

Devendra Kumar Mishra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0372-4376

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