In a groundbreaking development, scientists at Shanxi University have come up with a new method for generating bright squeezed light—a key resource for ultra-precise quantum measurements. Their approach offers record stability and output power.
They introduced an innovative hybrid stabilization system that tackles long-standing technical noise challenges. Squeezed-light performance now stretches into a broader frequency range than anyone’s managed before.
This could shake up quantum metrology, gravitational wave detection, and some of the most advanced optical sensing out there.
Breaking Through the Noise Barriers in Squeezed Light Generation
Producing squeezed light—a special kind of light with reduced quantum noise—has always faced two main headaches: technical noise and vacuum noise. These disturbances, especially in the kilohertz (kHz) to megahertz (MHz) range, have made it tough to achieve stable, practical results.
Older systems just couldn’t keep noise low across wide frequency ranges without losing output power. This trade-off stalled progress for experiments that rely on highly stable light at low and intermediate frequencies.
The Innovation: A Hybrid Passive–Active Power Stabilization System
The research team took on this challenge with a dual-stage noise suppression architecture. Their setup combines broadband passive noise reduction using second-harmonic generation (SHG) and active feedback stabilization.
This hybrid system pulls together the strengths of both methods. Stability jumps past what earlier designs could manage.
With the SHG process in place, the system passively knocks out a wide range of noise sources. The active stabilization loop then fine-tunes output power and squashes the remaining fluctuations.
Remarkable Performance Gains
The results? Pretty striking. Using this method, researchers achieved:
- Technical noise dropped from −122 dB/Hz to an unprecedented −165 dB/Hz in the kHz range.
- 9 dB of squeezing below the shot noise limit at just 1 mW of optical power.
- A feedback bandwidth that now stretches from 50 kHz up into the MHz domain—a big leap over previous efforts.
Power Efficiency Through Smart Design
The efficiency here really stands out. For active noise control, the stabilized beam comes from the residual fundamental wave of the SHG cavity. No extra laser power needed—unlike older approaches that often demanded more power to get full stabilization.
The team managed to produce milliwatt-level bright amplitude squeezed light with −5.5 dB noise reduction, steady across the entire kHz–MHz spectrum. That’s a tenfold improvement in output power compared to what others have pulled off before.
Validation Through Theory and Experiment
The observed performance lined up closely with calculations from a new theoretical model. Seeing theory and experiment match so well really bolsters confidence in the hybrid stabilization concept and hints at its potential for scaling up.
Implications for Quantum Technologies
This breakthrough could have major impacts in quantum metrology and precision measurement. Some of the applications likely to benefit include:
- Improved sensitivity in gravitational wave detectors.
- Enhanced accuracy in optical atomic clocks.
- Better performance in quantum imaging and sensing systems.
Offering stable, bright squeezing at low frequencies and across broad spectral bandwidths, this technique finally addresses a stubborn technical limitation in many quantum-enhanced systems.
Looking Forward
This achievement marks a significant milestone. But honestly, it might just be the start of a whole new wave of squeezed-light technologies.
Researchers could try scaling the system for bigger power needs. Maybe they’ll even squeeze it into portable quantum measurement gadgets someday.
The method shows impressive stability. That could help close the gap between lab research and practical, real-world uses.
Right now, the Shanxi University team has set a new gold standard for generating bright squeezed light. They’ve not only improved on what came before, but also nudged the boundaries in optical engineering and quantum science.
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Here is the source article for this story: Bright squeezed light in the kilohertz frequency band