Experimental determination of the canonical quantum optical phase probability distribution has, until now, required sufficient measurements to determine the complete state of the field. In this Letter we present a more direct means for measuring this distribution which involves synthesizing the projection onto a phase state. Projection synthesis may be applied more generally to measure the probability distribution associated with other observables.

• Received 12 December 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.4148