Researchers identify and experimentally demonstrate 'hyperloss', a previously underappreciated decoherence mechanism in quantum optical networks. When laser beams experience spatial-mode mismatch, coherent mixing with higher-order modes can destroy quantum correlations far beyond what standard incoherent loss models predict — an 8% mode mismatch was enough to convert 5.8 dB of squeezing into an effectively thermal (non-quantum) state. Crucially, the study also shows that tuning differential spatial-mode phases can recover the lost quantum correlations, offering a practical mitigation strategy for quantum network designers.
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