Quantum correlated states of light, such as squeezed states, are a fundamental resource for the development of quantum technologies, as they are needed for applications in quantum metrology, quantum computation, and quantum communications. It is thus critical to develop compact, efficient, and robust sources to generate such states. Here, we report on a compact, narrowband, fiber-coupled source of two-mode squeezed states of light at 795 nm based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in an 85Rb atomic vapor. The source is designed in a small modular form factor, with two input fiber-coupled beams, the seed and pump beams required for the FWM, and two output fibers, one for each of the modes of the squeezed state. The system is optimized for low pump power (135 mW) to achieve a maximum intensity-difference squeezing of 4.4 dB after the output of fibers at an analysis frequency of 1 MHz. The narrowband nature of the source makes it ideal for atomic-based quantum sensing and quantum networking configurations that rely on atomic quantum memories. Such a source paves the way for a versatile and portable platform for applications in quantum information science.
Quantum correlated states of light, such as squeezed states, are a fundamental resource for the development of quantum technologies, as they are needed for applications in quantum metrology, quantum computation, and quantum communications. It is thus critical to develop compact, efficient, and robust sources to generate such states. Here, we report on a compact, narrowband, fiber-coupled source of two-mode squeezed states of light at 795 nm based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in an 85Rb atomic vapor. The source is designed in a small modular form factor, with two input fiber-coupled beams, the seed and pump beams required for the FWM, and two output fibers, one for each of the modes of the squeezed state. The system is optimized for low pump power (135 mW) to achieve a maximum intensity-difference squeezing of 4.4 dB after the output of fibers at an analysis frequency of 1 MHz. The narrowband nature of the source makes it ideal for atomic-based quantum sensing and quantum networking configurations that rely on atomic quantum memories. Such a source paves the way for a versatile and portable platform for applications in quantum information science.
Quantum-correlated states of light, such as squeezed states, constitute a fundamental resource for quantum technologies, enabling enhanced performance in quantum metrology, quantum information processing, and quantum communications. The practical deployment of such technologies requires squeezed-light sources that are compact, efficient, low-cost, and robust. Here we report a compact narrowband source of two-mode squeezed light at 795 nm based on four-wave mixing in hot 85Rb atomic vapor. The source is implemented in a small, modular architecture featuring a single fiber-coupled input, an electro-optic phase modulator combined with a single Fabry-Perot etalon for probe generation, and two free-space output modes corresponding to the signal and conjugate fields. Optimized for low pump power, the system achieves up to -8 dB of intensity-difference squeezing at an analysis frequency of 0.8 MHz with a pump power of only 300 mW. The intrinsic narrowband character of the generated quantum states makes this source particularly well suited for atomic-based quantum sensing and quantum networking, including interfaces with atomic quantum memories. Our results establish a versatile and portable platform for low-SWaP squeezed-light generation, paving the way toward deployable quantum-enhanced technologies.
Quantum metrology leverages quantum resources to surpass classical limits in measurement sensitivity, enabling new capabilities across fields ranging from fundamental physics to sensing, imaging, and navigation. As these techniques mature, an increasing emphasis is being placed on translating quantum-enhanced performance into practical, robust systems that can operate outside controlled laboratory environments. The overarching objective of the work presented in this dissertation is to develop sensing platforms that achieve improved performance by leveraging quantum resources in realistic, noisy environments. In particular, this work focuses on the use of squeezed states of light, and investigates how two-mode squeezed states generated through four-wave mixing can be developed into compact sources and integrated with practical fiber-optic and plasmonic sensing platforms. Squeezed states of light, and in particular two-mode squeezed states (twin beams), constitute a powerful resource in quantum metrology. Their reduced quantum noise enables measurements below the noise level that can be achieved with classical resources, know as the shot-noise limit, offering genuine quantum advantages in precision sensing and measurement. Beyond their fundamental interest, such states provide a pathway toward practical quantum technologies capable of outperforming classical approaches in real-world applications. For many practical implementations, it is therefore highly advantageous to demonstrate squeezed light sources that are compact, stable, and compatible with existing photonic infrastructures. This is needed to lower the barrier to incorporate quantum resources into experiments and sensing platforms, particularly in environments where bulky or delicate optical setups are impractical. To demonstrate a pathway toward practical quantum sensing with squeezed light, this dissertation presents experimental studies spanning both the development of deployable squeezed-light sources and their application in practical or real-world sensing platforms. We present the development of a compact, narrowband, fiber-coupled source of squeezed light based on four-wave mixing in hot Rb 85 vapor. The system achieves more than 4 dB of intensity-difference squeezing after propagation through polarization-maintaining fibers, demonstrating that strong quantum correlations can be preserved even when fiber coupled. This platform serves as a standalone proof-of-principle demonstration of a deployable, low–size, weight, and power (low-SWaP) squeezed-light source that is well suited for applications where fiber delivery of quantum-correlated light can be readily integrated into existing experimental and sensing platforms. In addition to this source development, the dissertation investigates two distinct applications of twin-beam for quantum-enhanced sensing. The first one focuses on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which are widely used to monitor strain, vibration, and temperature in applications ranging from civil infrastructure and aerospace systems to oil and gas pipeline monitoring. By coupling the squeezed light into separate FBGs and employing differential detection, common-mode noise is suppressed while localized perturbations are retained. This work provides a feasibility study for using twin-beams to enhance the sensitivity of FBG-based sensors beyond classical limits while providing robustness against environmental noise. The second application examines plasmonic sensors based on surface plasmon resonances in metallic nanostructures, which enable highly sensitive detection of small changes in refractive index. Such plasmonic sensors are particularly useful for applications in chemical and biological sensing, environmental monitoring, and lab-on-chip platforms, where compactness and high sensitivity to refractive index changes are critical. A dual-probing scheme is introduced in which both beams of a two-mode squeezed state interact with a polarization-dependent plasmonic nanostructure. By exploiting opposite spectral response for orthogonal polarizations, this approach improves measurement sensitivity relative to our previous technique of using one beam to probe the plasmonic sensor and the other to serve as a reference. This new technique takes advantage of transducing information into both the beams while preserving the benefits of differential detection for noise cancellation. Taken together, these studies illustrate complementary approaches for leveraging quantum correlations for practical sensing problems. Through the development of a compact, fiber-compatible squeezed-light source and independent demonstrations of enhanced performance in both fiber-optic and plasmonic sensors, this dissertation advances pathways for translating quantum sensing approaches based on quantum states of light from laboratory demonstrations into deployable metrology tools.
Using a nondegenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) process based on a double-Λ scheme in hot cesium vapor, we demonstrate a compact diode-laser-pumped quantum light source for the generation of quantum correlated twin beams with a maximum squeezing of 6.5 dB. The squeezing is observed at a Fourier frequency in the audio band down to 0.7 kHz which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first observation of sub-kilohertz intensity-difference squeezing in an atomic system so far. A phase-matching condition is also investigated in our system, which confirms the spatial-multi-mode characteristics of the FWM process. Our compact low-frequency squeezed light source may find applications in quantum imaging, quantum metrology, and the transfer of optical squeezing onto a matter wave.
We have built a compact light source for bright squeezed twin-beams at 795\,nm based on four-wave-mixing in atomic 85Rb vapor. With a total optical power of 400\,mW derived from a free running diode laser and a tapered amplifier to pump the four-wave-mixing process, we achieve 2.1\,dB intensity difference squeezing of the twin beams below the standard quantum limit, without accounting for losses. Squeezed twin beams generated by the type of source presented here could be used as reference for the precise calibration of photodetectors. Transferring the quantum correlations from the light to atoms in order to generate correlated atom beams is another interesting prospect. In this work we investigate the dispersion that is generated by the employed four-wave-mixing process with respect to bandwidth and dependence on probe detuning. We are currently using this squeezed light source to test the transfer of spatial information and quantum correlations through media of anomalous dispersion.
As an essential quantum resource, the intensity-difference squeezed state based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in atomic vapor is widely applied in quantum information processing. In particular, a high intensity-difference squeezing bandwidth is vital for the realization of high-speed information processing. However, limited by the bandwidth of photodetectors, broadband intensity-difference squeezed state based on this system has not yet been reported. Here, we developed a transimpedance broadband balanced homodyne detector at 895 nm, achieving a bandwidth greater than 100 MHz and a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 15 dB with 4 mW optical power. Utilizing this detector in a nondegenerate FWM process based on cesium vapor, we experimentally achieved broadband intensity-difference squeezing with a bandwidth of 100 MHz, which yielded a maximum squeezing of −7.17 ± 0.8 dB between 20 and 40 MHz. Meanwhile, using this detector, we experimentally investigated the cavity-enhanced FWM process, achieving a squeezing level of −6.07 ± 0.5 dB within a 4 MHz frequency range, which is limited by the cavity bandwidth. This work provides a reliable detection tool and experimental foundation for the research and application of broadband squeezed light sources based on FWM.
We have built a compact light source for bright squeezed twin-beams at 795nm based on four-wave-mixing in atomic 85Rb vapor. With a total optical power of 400mW derived from a free running diode laser and a tapered amplifier to pump the four-wave-mixing process, we achieve 2.1 dB intensity difference squeezing of the twin beams below the standard quantum limit, without accounting for losses. Squeezed twin beams generated by the type of source presented here could be used as reference for the precise calibration of photodetectors. Transferring the quantum correlations from the light to atoms in order to generate correlated atom beams is another interesting prospect. In this work we investigate the dispersion that is generated by the employed fourwave- mixing process with respect to bandwidth and dependence on probe detuning. We are currently using this squeezed light source to test the transfer of spatial information and quantum correlations through media of anomalous dispersion.