Nonclassicality is a key ingredient for quantum enhanced technologies and experiments involving macroscopic quantum coherence. Considering various exactly solvable quantum-oscillator systems, we address the role played by the anharmonicity of their potential in the establishment of nonclassical features. Specifically, we show that a monotonic relation exists between the entropic nonlinearity of the considered potentials and their ground-state nonclassicality, as quantified by the negativity of the Wigner function. In addition, in order to clarify the role of squeezing, which is not captured by the negativity of the Wigner function, we focus on the Glauber-Sudarshan $P$ function and address the nonclassicality-nonlinearity relation using the entanglement potential. Finally, we consider the case of a generic sixth-order potential confirming the idea that nonlinearity is a resource for the generation of nonclassicality and may serve as a guideline for the engineering of quantum oscillators.

• Received 8 August 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.93.032112