A heralded quantum amplifier of multi-photon states
A heralded quantum amplifier of multi-photon states
Luis Villegas-Aguilar, Farzad Ghafari, Matthew S. Winnel, Varun B. Verma, Lynden K. Shalm, Timothy C. Ralph, Geoff J. Pryde, Sergei Slussarenko
AbstractLarge-scale quantum networking systems will inevitably require methods to overcome photon loss. While the no-cloning theorem forbids perfect and deterministic amplification of unknown quantum states, probabilistic heralded amplification schemes offer a viable path forward. Yet, for over a decade, successful multi-photon state amplification has remained out of reach, despite the fundamental importance of such states in achieving quantum advantage in optical applications. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a high-fidelity and post-selection-free amplifier for multi-photon states. We achieve heralded amplification of states with up to two photons in a single optical mode, with over a hundredfold intensity gain, and verify the coherence-preserving operation of our scheme. Our approach is scalable to higher photon numbers and enables noiseless amplification of complex multi-photon quantum states, with applications in large-scale quantum communication systems, distributed quantum metrology, and information processing.