We establish a method of directly measuring and estimating nonclassicality—operationally defined in terms of the distinguishability of a given state from one with a positive Wigner function. It allows us to certify nonclassicality, based on possibly much fewer measurement settings than necessary for obtaining complete tomographic knowledge, and is at the same time equipped with a full certificate. We find that even from measuring two conjugate variables alone, one may infer the nonclassicality of quantum mechanical modes. This method also provides a practical tool to eventually certify such features in mechanical degrees of freedom in opto-mechanics. The proof of the result is based on Bochner’s theorem characterizing classical and quantum characteristic functions and on semidefinite programming. In this joint theoretical-experimental work we present data from experimental optical Fock state preparation.

• Received 1 June 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.010403