Generation and application of multi-path cat states of light

Ishida, Natsuko*; Ota, Yukihiro; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa*

We propose a scheme to generate a novel state, a multi-path cat state of light, in which photons are propagating in different paths. Starting with indistinguishable single-photon sources and using linear optical circuits, the target state is extracted with high fidelity. If a state preserving quantum non-demolition measurement of photon number can be incorporated into the generation scheme, the fidelity is further improved.