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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Intensity feedback effects on quantum-limited noise

Matthew S. Taubman, Howard M. Wiseman, David E. McClelland, Hans‐A. Bachor

Published Oct 1, 1995• 56 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We examine the quantum-limited behavior of an electro-optical intensity feedback loop and present a simple theory and experimental data showing excellent agreement. We show that, although the light incident upon the in-loop detector may be sub-Poissonian, this light has unique properties different from those of a freely propagating beam of intensity squeezed light. We support this by presenting the results of homodyne measurements of the phase noise of light extracted from the loop. The utility of the in-loop field is discussed, and it is shown that in all cases in which linear optical components are used, no advantage in signal-to-noise ratio is gained by taking measurements by using this light rather than a coherent source. We also discuss effects seen in the extracted or out-of-loop light. We demonstrate the existence of, and derive an expression for, an optimum gain for suppressing low-level classical noise. Conversely, in the high-gain limit, we demonstrate that the extra noise seen in the out-of-loop photocurrent that is due to the feedback process is expressible purely in terms of the mean photocurrents involved. Lastly, we introduce the novel concept of using an intensity feedback loop in conjunction with a squeezed source and show that the feedback loop has the capability of electronically transferring squeezing from one light beam to another.

DOI
10.1364/josab.12.001792

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We examine the quantum-limited behavior of an electro-optical intensity feedback loop and present a simple theory and experimental data showing excellent agreement. We show that, although the light incident upon the in-loop detector may be sub-Poissonian, this light has unique properties different from those of a freely propagating beam of intensity squeezed light. We support this by presenting the results of homodyne measurements of the phase noise of light extracted from the loop. The utility of the in-loop field is discussed, and it is shown that in all cases in which linear optical components are used, no advantage in signal-to-noise ratio is gained by taking measurements by using this light rather than a coherent source. We also discuss effects seen in the extracted or out-of-loop light. We demonstrate the existence of, and derive an expression for, an optimum gain for suppressing low-level classical noise. Conversely, in the high-gain limit, we demonstrate that the extra noise seen in the out-of-loop photocurrent that is due to the feedback process is expressible purely in terms of the mean photocurrents involved. Lastly, we introduce the novel concept of using an intensity feedback loop in conjunction with a squeezed source and show that the feedback loop has the capability of electronically transferring squeezing from one light beam to another.
Electro-optical feedback can produce an in-loop photocurrent with arbitrarily low noise. This is not regarded as evidence of ``real'' squeezing because squeezed light cannot be extracted from the loop using a linear beam splitter. Here I show that illuminating an atom (which is a nonlinear optical element) with ``in-loop'' squeezed light causes line narrowing of one quadrature of the atom's fluorescence. This has long been regarded as an effect that can only be produced by squeezing. Experiments on atoms using in-loop squeezing should be much easier than those with conventional sources of squeezed light.
All-optical feedback can be effected by putting the output of a source cavity through a Faraday isolator and into a second cavity which is coupled to the source cavity by a nonlinear crystal. If the driven cavity is heavily damped, then it can be adiabatically eliminated and a master equation or quantum Langevin equation derived for the first cavity alone. This is done for an input bath in an arbitrary state, and for an arbitrary nonlinear coupling. If the intercavity coupling involves only the intensity (or one quadrature) of the driven cavity, then the effect on the source cavity is identical to that which can be obtained from electro-optical feedback using direct (or homodyne) detection. If the coupling involves both quadratures, this equivalence no longer holds and a coupling linear in the source amplitude can produce a nonclassical state in the source cavity. The analogous electro-optic scheme using heterodyne detection introduces extra noise which prevents the production of nonclassical light. Unlike the electro-optical case, the all-optical feedback loop has an output beam (reflected from the second cavity). We show that this may be squeezed, even if the source cavity remains in a classical state.
This research focuses on advanced noise suppression technologies for high-precision measurement systems, particularly addressing the limitations of classical noise reducing approaches. The noise level of laser sources is a crucial factor that directly affects the measurement sensitivity in applications such as gravitational wave detection and biomedical imaging. Classical feedback control technologies are effective but often encounter a bottleneck resulting from the classical noise suppression limits. To cope with these challenges, a novel method integrating quantum squeezed light with classical feedback control systems to reduce intensity noise is proposed in this work. By employing an amplitude-squeezed light field, a quantum-enhanced feedback control model is developed, thereby theoretically examining the influence of both the feedback loop gain and the degree of squeezing on the noise suppression performance. The results show that the injection of squeezed light significantly reduces the intensity noise, approaching the shot noise limit (SNL), thereby improving the system sensitivity beyond the classical noise reduction boundaries. Specifically, –10 dB squeezed state injection into the feedback system yields an additional noise suppression of approximately 8.97 dB, exceeding what is achievable using classical feedback alone. This demonstrates that the potential of the proposed method can enhance measurement precision close to the quantum noise limits without increasing the laser power. The analysis highlights the asymmetric noise suppression effects between the inner feedback loop and outer feedback loop. Although the outer loop benefits significantly from the squeezed light injection and achieves noise levels that are unattainable by classical feedback methods, the inner loop shows relatively minor improvements. This asymmetry is attributed to the inherent characteristics of quantum squeezing and the limitations of the feedback loop design. Further investigation into the individual noise components reveals that the primary contributors to the intensity noise include input noise, photodetector noise, and beam splitter-induced vacuum fluctuations. The injection of squeezed light effectively mitigates these vacuum fluctuations, which are typically a major noise source in high-precision laser systems. Theoretical research results show that the use of squeezed light in feedback control systems can effectively enhance noise suppression, equivalent to a nine fold increase in detected optical power, without the physical drawbacks of increasing laser power such as thermal noise. In conclusion, this study provides a theoretical validation of combining quantum squeezed states with classical feedback control to exceed classical noise suppression limits. The integration of a –10 dB squeezed state demonstrates a significant noise reduction, showing that this hybrid approach could revolutionize noise management in precision measurement applications. The results pave the way for further exploring quantum-enhanced control technologies in fields such as gravitational wave detection, quantum communication, and advanced optical sensing, providing a pathway for improving sensitivity and noise suppression without increasing additional power requirements.
Photocurrent shot-noise suppression is observed in closed optoelectronic loop below the limit (1 − η) of standard shot-noise level (SNL) imposed by conventional theory of photodetector with quantum efficiency η. Experimental results on photocurrent noise are presented for different values of feedback strength and quantum efficiency η of in-loop photodiode. It is shown that at fixed feedback strength the suppression factor does not depend on η. Minimum noise spectral density is observed below the SNL by a factor 17·8 (− 12·5 dB). Such large suppression cannot be explained in terms of an ordinary sub-Poissonian light state in the loop. We suggest the concept of an anticorrelation light state, where the light in the loop is described as a non-stationary state with Poissonian quantum fluctuations, and superimposed anticorrelated classical fluctuations. While the degree of noise reduction in the photocurrent can be arbitrary large, the degree of anticorrelation between the classical and quantum fluctuations in the light beam remains limited by the quantum efficiency of the feedback photodiode. Calculations based on this concept are in a good agreement with experimental data on super-shot-noise power, obtained for the beam extracted from the loop by a beam splitter.
A fully quantum-mechanical model of feedback to the pump source of a four-level laser is developed with a view to predicting the achievable intensity noise reduction. For solid-state lasers, the model shows that quantum noise sources due to laser dynamics have a significant impact on the optimization of the feedback loop. Experimental results obtained with a diode pumped neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical model. The ultimate limit to the noise suppression comes from the quantum noise due to the measurement processes in the feedback loop. A scheme to overcome this limit using a squeezed vacuum is theoretically demonstrated to be a highly efficient method of generating bright intensity squeezed light, particularly in the kHz regime where bright squeezing is otherwise difficult to obtain.
A new scheme for generating an amplitude-squeezed state is proposed. The photon-flux fluctuation of a semiconductor-laser output wave is measured with a quantum nondemolition (QND) detector, and is negatively fed back to the laser pumping current. The operator Langevin equations are derived by combining the quantum-mechanical analyses on the laser internal-external field fluctuations, the quantum nondemolition detector based on an optical Kerr effect, and a negative-feedback circuit. The output wave features a reduced photon number noise below the standard quantum limit, 〈(\ensuremath{\Delta}n^)2{)}^{2})2〉^〉, and an enhanced phase noise above that, 〈(\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\psi}^)2{)}^{2})2〉>(1/4)〈n^${〉}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, while the minimum uncertainty product is still preserved. The observed photoelectron statistics in a negative-feedback GaAs laser diode using a conventional p-i-n photodiode (not a QND detector) are shown to exhibit sub-Poissonian statistics with the variance 〈(\ensuremath{\Delta}n^)2{)}^{2})2〉apeq20.26〈n^〉. The measured photocurrent fluctuation spectral density is also indicated to be below the standard quantum limit by a factor of 0.2 (=-7 dB). The experimental results also confirm that such amplitude squeezing is only observed inside the feedback loop and cannot be extracted from the loop unless a quantum nondemolition detector is used.