Photon as a qubit: A continuous-variable approach

I will discuss current challenges and limitations in the experimental implementation of the photon as a qubit, with a particular emphasis on the task of characterizing quantum optical states for the purposes of quantum information technology. I will present our recent experimental achievements in applying homodyne tomography to highly nonclassical states of light such as the single-photon Fock state as well as the single- and dual-rail optical qubits and demonstrate the advantages of this quantum state measurement technique with respect to the traditional photon-counting based approach.