We showed in Section 5.2 of the present chapter that according to quantum theory the value of the electric field of an electromagnetic wave could not be predicted to arbitrarily high precision, this being a consequence of the uncertainty relation satisfied by the two quadrature components of the field (Equation 5.32), which imposed a finite limit on the product of their variances. This limit is more than an abstract theoretical limit; it is often the overriding factor determining the resolution of high-precision optical measurements. In such situations measurements by photodetectors on the field exhibit uncontrollable fluctuations of quantum origin known as quantum noise . Fortunately, as we shall show in this complement, it is possible to overcome this by using non-classical states of the radiation field, namely the squeezed states , provided measurements are made of a single one of a pair of conjugate field variables. A field mode prepared in such a state exhibits reduced quantum noise in one of the variables at the expense of increased noise in the other, so that the uncertainty relation involving their variances is still satisfied. The potential of such states for increasing the obtainable precision of optical measurements is self-evident. However, the practical realization of the potential benefits requires delicate experimental techniques that we describe only briefly here.
We showed in Section 5.2 of the present chapter that according to quantum theory the value of the electric field of an electromagnetic wave could not be predicted to arbitrarily high precision, this being a consequence of the uncertainty relation satisfied by the two quadrature components of the field (Equation 5.32), which imposed a finite limit on the product of their variances. This limit is more than an abstract theoretical limit; it is often the overriding factor determining the resolution of high-precision optical measurements. In such situations measurements by photodetectors on the field exhibit uncontrollable fluctuations of quantum origin known as quantum noise . Fortunately, as we shall show in this complement, it is possible to overcome this by using non-classical states of the radiation field, namely the squeezed states , provided measurements are made of a single one of a pair of conjugate field variables. A field mode prepared in such a state exhibits reduced quantum noise in one of the variables at the expense of increased noise in the other, so that the uncertainty relation involving their variances is still satisfied. The potential of such states for increasing the obtainable precision of optical measurements is self-evident. However, the practical realization of the potential benefits requires delicate experimental techniques that we describe only briefly here.
Light exists in several distinct quantum states that include photon number and coherent states. But these are not the only states of light, and others that are known to display unusual properties raise hopes for a deeper understanding of the quantum behavior at the classical-quantum barrier. In the previous chapter, we learned about two important states of light: the coherent and number states. In this chapter, we will deal with a special state of light called the squeezed state. As the name suggests, conjugate quantities/variables (such as intensity and phase) can be squeezed beyond their short-noise limit, obeying Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. These specialized states of light have the distinct ability to measure variables (e.g., intensity) below the short-noise limit. Of course, this comes at the cost of increased uncertainty in the associated conjugate variable. In this chapter, we will explore these possibilities and briefly discuss techniques to generate such light. These specialized light sources find applications in ultrahigh precision measurement (gravitational-wave detection) and sophisticated instrumentation.
In this chapter we shall be using the formalism of Chapter 4 to describe some properties of the quantized free electromagnetic field, emphasizing the analogies and differences with classical electromagnetism. The analogies explain why classical optics was so successful, to the extent that, even though light was not quantized, it was able to describe almost all known optical phenomena up until the 1970s. The differences highlight typical quantum behaviour, with no classical equivalent, which lies at the heart of modern quantum optics. The chapter begins by presenting formal ways of describing the main components of quantum optics experiments, namely, photodetectors and semi-reflecting mirrors. One can then understand homodyne detection, used to measure field quadrature components, even at optical frequencies for which no detector is fast enough to follow the oscillations of the field itself. Section 5.2 deals with the quantum vacuum where, in contrast to the classical vacuum, radiation has properties, in particular, fluctuations, with which one can associate physical effects. We then discuss in Section 5.3 some quantum radiation states in the simple case where a single mode l of the field is excited (non-vacuum). We introduce the idea of a quasiclassical state, or coherent state, used to make the link with classical optics. We shall also study other states, those with a definite number of photons, or squeezed states, which exhibit typically quantum properties, quite inconceivable in classical electromagnetism, and we shall show how these properties can be understood by reference to the Heisenberg relations, with an extremely useful graphical representation.
In Chapter 4 we defined different representations of the elec- tromagnetic (EM) field: the Fock, thermal and coherent state representations, and discussed in details properties of the EM field in these representations. We have seen that in the coherent state the fluctuations in the two quadratures of the EM field amplitudes are equal and minimize the uncertainty product given by the Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation. In other words, the quantum fluctuations of the field in a coherent state are equal to the zero- point fluctuations and are randomly distributed in phase. These zero-point fluctuations represent the standard quantum limit to the reduction of noise in a signal. Even an ideal laser operating in a pure coherent state would still possess quantum noise due to zero-point fluctuations.
Squeezed states of light are minimum uncertainty states for which the mean square fluctuations in phase and in quadrature with respect to a reference signal are unequal. Among other interesting properties, they provide improved sensitivity of optical interferometric phase measurements. To understand this potential, one must note that quantum theory imposes measurement uncertainty only on a pair of noncommuting variables; the measurement of any one quantum observable could be done with no uncertainty.>
All quantum states of light exhibit field fluctuation even in the vacuum state. There are many physical phenomena which result from vacuum fluctuation. The most prominent example is the spontaneous radiation. In quantum optics and laser physics people have succeeded in producing theoretically even a squeezed state of light that fluctuates at a lower noise level than the vacuum fluctuation. The application of squeezed light will provide new opportunities for high precision measurements. In the present work we consider the quantum superposition of state 0 1 01 y =a + b and work out the variances of the quadrature operators 1 ˆX and 2 ˆX . We have shown that for some values of parameters α and β, the quadrature variances become less than the vacuum fluctuation. This indicates the principle of manipulating vacuum.
Squeezed light, a prominent non-classical state of light, exhibits reduced quantum noise in one quadrature component below the standard quantum limit (SQL). The property enables quantum-enhanced precision measurements, surpassing the SQL in quantum sensing applications. This review comprehensively introduces the fundamental concepts, classifications, and experimental generation techniques of squeezed light. It further explores its pivotal role and recent advances in diverse quantum sensing domains, including interferometry, gravitational wave detection, magnetometry, force sensing, biomedical sensing, and quantum radar. The review covers theoretical foundations of squeezed states (including quadrature operators and classification schemes, experimental generation techniques in atomic ensembles, nonlinear crystals, and fibers), fundamentals of quantum sensing with squeezed light (from quantum noise theory to quantum-enhanced metrology), and quantum-enhanced sensing applications across the aforementioned domains. Finally, future challenges and opportunities in the field are discussed.