{
  "abstract": "Realistic non-Gaussian operations, which can be implemented by mixing a nonclassical Gaussian state with a Fock state at a beam splitter and then heralding on a photon-number-resolving detector, are known to improve phase estimation in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The existing studies have considered the single-mode squeezed vacuum for difference-intensity and parity detection, and the two-mode squeezed thermal state for parity detection alone as the initial Gaussian resources. However, a real squeezer in the lab actually produces single-mode squeezed thermal light, which has not been studied in a coherent-plus-resource interferometer. We take up this case and using the phase space Wigner picture, we obtain the heralded state produced by photon subtraction, addition and catalysis on a single-mode squeezed thermal resource, and evaluate the corresponding phase sensitivities. Single-photon catalysis, which is useless on squeezed vacuum, becomes a useful operation for any thermal occupation above $\\nth\\simeq0.2$, and since it heralds with a probability near one-half, it turns out to be the best success-weighted operation over the whole thermal range. In the vacuum limit our results reproduce the known hierarchy, where two-photon catalysis is the best operation. The quantum Fisher information computations confirms that thermal noise enhances the phase information encoded in the catalyzed state, demonstrating that difference-intensity detection closely approaches the ultimate precision bound across most operational regimes, and, together with a loss analysis, verifies the robustness of the effect.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.22004",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Kirtpreet Singh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Arvind"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/99qj6phxrqbts.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.22004",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "99qj6phxrqbts",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.22004",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "quant-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1702|Quantum Information and Cryptography"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222673357",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.22004",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/99qj6phxrqbts.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:29:50Z",
      "native_id": "2610.22004",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.22004"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:quant-ph",
      "subfield": "quantum"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Thermal activation of photon catalysis in difference-intensity Mach-Zehnder interferometry with squeezed thermal light",
  "title_text": "Thermal activation of photon catalysis in difference-intensity Mach-Zehnder interferometry with squeezed thermal light",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:29:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/99qj6phxrqbts",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}