English

Quantum Complementarity ad Infinitum: Switching Higher-Order Coherence from Infinity to Zero

Quantum Physics 2025-07-23 v1

Abstract

We report a profound manifestation of quantum complementarity in the higher-order photon statistics of the ``Janus state,'' a coherent superposition of two squeezed vacua. We find that the state acts as a perfect quantum switch for multi-photon correlations, toggled by the availability of which-path information. Erasing this information activates quantum interference that can be tuned to be maximally destructive. This reveals a remarkable hierarchy of suppression: while two-photon correlations remain finite, we prove analytically and demonstrate numerically that it is possible to drive all higher-order correlations (g(k)g^{(k)} for k3k \ge 3) to zero. This transition from the extreme bunching of the constituent states (g(k)g^{(k)} \to \infty) to a state of profound quantum order is visualized by the emergence of negativity in the state's Wigner function, an unambiguous signature of non-classicality. This work provides a foundational demonstration of quantum complementarity in multi-photon statistics and introduces a new paradigm for engineering highly ordered, non-classical light from Gaussian resources.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2507.15890,
  title  = {Quantum Complementarity ad Infinitum: Switching Higher-Order Coherence from Infinity to Zero},
  author = {Arash Azizi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.15890},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

4 pages, 5 figures + SM

R2 v1 2026-07-01T04:11:59.555Z