Lvovsky, AlexanderKumar, Ranjeet2017-12-182017-12-182012http://hdl.handle.net/1880/105998Bibliography: p. 77-80The photon creation and annihilation operators are cornerstones of the quantum description of the electromagnetic field. They signify the isomorphism of the optical Hilbert space to that of the harmonic oscillator and the bosonic nature of photons. We perform complete experi­mental characterization (quantum process tomography) of these operators. By measuring, via homodyne detection, their effect on coherent states, we obtain their process tensor in the Fock basis, which explicitly shows the 'raising' and 'lowering' properties of these operators with respect to photon number states. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experin1ental demonstration of complete tomography of trace-non-preserving quantum processes. All output states are characterized through their corresponding Wigner functions. Results are also validated through theoretical modeling. Fuithermore, the photon addition and subtrac­tion operations are characterized through the diagonal elements of the process tensors and are validated through theoretical generated data using Monte Carlo simulation.viii, 80 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.master thesis10.11575/PRISM/4997