Quantum enhanced optical phase estimation with a squeezed thermal state

Abstract: Quantum phase estimation protocols can provide a measuring method of phase shift with precision superior to standard quantum limit (SQL) due to the application of a nonclassical state of light. A squeezed vacuum state, whose variance in one quadrature is lower than the corresponding SQL, has been pointed out a sensitive resource for quantum phase estimation and the estimation accuracy is directly influenced by the properties of the squeezed state. Here we detailedly analyze the influence of the purity and squeezing level of the squeezed state on the accuracy of quantum phase estimation. The maximum precision that can be achieved for a squeezed thermal state is evaluated, and the experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical analyses. It is also found that the width of the phase estimation interval $\Delta \theta $ beyond SQL is correlated with the purity of the squeezed state.