Frequency conversion and amplification of photon-number detection
Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano, Chiara Macchiavello · Physical Review A · 1993
We present a comparative analysis of trilinear parametric processes for photon-number detection. Attention is focused on those processes that correspond to constituent devices in optical networks, such as second- and subharmonic sum- and difference-frequency generation and phase-sensitive and -insensitive amplification and attenuation. Gains, output Fano factors, and noise figures are given for input in both coherent and number eigenstates. The fully quantum processes (i.e., with no classical pump) are evaluated numerically. It is shown that the depletion of the quantum pump is never complete and this accounts for additional noise at the output. Second-harmonic and sum-frequency generation turn out to be more efficient and less noisy than the respective down-conversion processes. Ideal behaviors are also reported for comparison and the results are discussed with a brief parallel analysis of the various devices.