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arXiv:2507.07672 · Physical Review Applied

Vacuum-squeezing-enhanced micrometer-scale vapor-cell magnetometer

Shahar Monsa, Yair Chasid, Michael Shuldiner, Shmuel Sternklar, Eliran Talker

Published Feb 17, 2026• 1 citation
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Abstract

We report on an optical magnetometer enhanced by vacuum-squeezed light, employing an Mx magnetometer based on $^{87}$Rb vapor in a micrometer-scale cell (~100 $μ$m). Using the well-established polarization self-rotation effect in a room-temperature $^{87}$Rb vapor cell, we achieve -3 dB of vacuum squeezing within the noise spectral window of 100 Hz to several MHz, corresponding to 3.5 dB squeezing when accounting for optical losses. Leveraging this level of squeezing, we demonstrate a magnetic field sensitivity of approx. 1 pT$/$$\sqrt{Hz}$. The combination of vacuum-squeezed light and micrometer-scale vapor cells paves the way for compact, low-power-consumption atomic sensors with enhanced performance.

DOI
10.1103/t8d7-cqk2

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We report on an optical magnetometer enhanced by vacuum-squeezed light, employing an Mx magnetometer based on 87^{87}87Rb vapor in a micrometer-scale cell (~100 μμμm). Using the well-established polarization self-rotation effect in a room-temperature 87^{87}87Rb vapor cell, we achieve -3 dB of vacuum squeezing within the noise spectral window of 100 Hz to several MHz, corresponding to 3.5 dB squeezing when accounting for optical losses. Leveraging this level of squeezing, we demonstrate a magnetic field sensitivity of approx. 1 pT/$$\sqrt{Hz}. The combination of vacuum-squeezed light and micrometer-scale vapor cells paves the way for compact, low-power-consumption atomic sensors with enhanced performance.
In this paper, we report on -3.5±0.2 dB vacuum squeezing (corresponding to -4.2±0.2 dB with loss correction) at 795 nm via the polarization self-rotation (PSR) effect in rubidium vapor by applying a magnetic field, whose direction is perpendicular to the propagation and polarization of the pump light. Compared with the case without the magnetic field, whose optimal squeezing degree is about -1.5 dB, this weak magnetic field can enhance the PSR effect and ultimately increase the squeezing degree. This compact squeezed light source can be potentially utilized in quantum protocols in which atomic ensembles are involved, such as in quantum memory, atomic magnetometers and quantum interferometers.
Abstract With the help of Stokes operator Ŝ 2 squeezed state (also called polarization squeezed state (PSS)) of 795 nm light, rubidium-87 ( 87 Rb) atomic magnetometer based on Faraday rotation (FR) has been implemented and characterized. The PSS of Stokes operator Ŝ 2 of 795 nm light has been prepared by means of coherently combining the polarization coherent state (PCS) of a linearly p-polarized bright 795 nm light beam and a linearly s-polarized squeezed vacuum state (SVS) generated by a 397.5 nm ultraviolet laser pumped sub-threshold optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with a PPKTP bulk crystal inside the OPO cavity. PSS with a squeezing level of −3.7 ± 0.3 dB has been achieved around the analysis frequency of 10 kHz. At different transitions of D 1 line, various frequency detuning, and reasonable atomic vapor cell’s temperature, FR has been measured and compared. To decrease absorption (scattering) losses and the back-action from atomic spin noise to the probe beam’s polarization noise for maintaining the quantum properties of PSS of Stokes operator Ŝ 2 of 795 nm light, we had to run our magnetometer with 87 Rb vapor cell’s temperature below 60 °C, at which the PSS was almost destroyed. The sensitivities of magnetic field measurement were characterized via measuring signal-to-noise ratio of the alternating current calibrated magnetic field signal with a balanced polarimeter. Under the conditions of the atomic number density of ∼5.8 × 10 10 cm −3 ( T ∼ 40 °C) and the probe beam with a detuning of ∼−400 MHz relative to the 5S 1/2 ( F g = 2) − 5P 1/2 ( F e = 1) transition of 87 Rb D 1 line, a typical sensitivity of ∼19.5 pT (Hz 1/2 ) −1 has been achieved employing PSS of Stokes operator Ŝ 2 as the probe, compared with a sensitivity of ∼28.3pT (Hz 1/2 ) −1 using PCS as the probe. We preliminarily demonstrated that the quantum-enhanced sensitivity in a Faraday-rotation-based 87 Rb atomic magnetometer with the help of PSS of 795 nm light.
An atomic magnetometer detects atomic responses to the magnetic field, and its sensitivity is ultimately limited by quantum noise fluctuations. For magnetometers based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR), the possible concurrent generation of light squeezing due to polarization self-rotation complicates the optimization for magnetometer sensitivity. Here, we study NMOR magnetometers with frequency-modulated light in a paraffin coated 87Rb vapor cell in the low and high power regimes corresponding to situations with and without light squeezing, respectively, with detection observables being different Stokes components reflecting the magnetic-field-induced atomic circular dichroism or birefringence. We found that the overall best sensitivity is achieved in the low power regime when there is no light squeezing and for circular dichroism measurement. We provide a general insight on parameter optimization and the choice of detection observables, from the delicate trade-off between the atomic responses and the noises including the technical and quantum optical noises. Our results could have practical significance in optical atomic magnetometry.
We report a photon shot-noise-limited (SNL) optical magnetometer based on amplitude modulated optical rotation using a room-temperature (85)Rb vapor in a cell with anti-relaxation coating. The instrument achieves a room-temperature sensitivity of 70 fT / √Hz at 7.6 μT. Experimental scaling of noise with optical power, in agreement with theoretical predictions, confirms the SNL behaviour from 5 μT to 75 μT. The combination of best-in-class sensitivity and SNL operation makes the system a promising candidate for application of squeezed light to a state-of-the-art atomic sensor.
We observed squeezed vacuum light at 795 nm in 87 Rb vapor via resonant polarization self-rotation, and report noise sidebands suppression of ≈ 1 dB below shot noise level spanning from acoustic (30 kHz) to MHz frequencies. This is the first demonstration of sub-MHz quadrature vacuum squeezing in atomic systems. The spectral range of observed squeezing matches well typical bandwidths of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances, making this simple technique for generation of optical fields with non-classical statistics at atomic transitions wavelengths attractive for EIT-based quantum information protocols applications.
We reported a compact squeezed light source consisting of an diode laser near resonant on 87Rb optical D1 transition and an warm Rubidium vapor cell. The -4dB vacuum squeezing at 795 nm via nonlinear magneto-optical rotation was observed when applying the magnetic field orthogonal to the propagation direction of the light beam. This compact squeezed light source can be potentially utilized in the quantum information protocols such as quantum repeater and memory, and quantum metrology such as atomic magnetometer.