Witnessing entanglement in phase space using inefficient detectors

Abstract

We propose a scheme for witnessing entanglement in phase space by significantly inefficient detectors. The implementation of this scheme does not require any additional process for correcting errors, in contrast to previous proposals. Moreover, it allows us to detect entanglement without full a priori knowledge of the detection efficiency. It is shown that entanglement in single-photon entangled and two-mode squeezed states can be witnessed with detection efficiency as low as 40%. Our approach enhances the possibility of witnessing entanglement in various physical systems using current detection technologies. © 2010 The American Physical Society.