Verifying cross-Kerr induced number squeezing: a case study

We analyse an experimental method for creating interesting nonclassical states by processing the entanglement generated when two large coherent states interact in a cross-Kerr medium. We specifically investigate the effects of loss and noise in every mode of the experiment, as well as the effect of binning' the post-selection outcomes. Even with these imperfections, we find an optimal set of currently achievable parameters which would allow a proof-of-principle demonstration of number squeezing in states with large mean photon number. We discuss other useful states which can be generated with the same experimental tools, including a class of states which contain coherent superpositions of differing photon numbers, e.g. good approximations to the state 1/2. Finally, we suggest one possible application of this state in the field of optomechanics.