We report the experimental generation of a squeezed vacuum at frequencies ranging from 2.5 kHz to 200 kHz that is resonant on the cesium D2 line by using a below-threshold optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO is based on a periodically-poled KTiOPO 4 (PPKTP) crystal that is pumped using a bow-tie four-mirror ring frequency doubler. The phase of the squeezed light is controlled using a quantum noise locking technique. At a pump power of 115 mW, maximum quadrature phase squeezing of 3.5 dB and anti-squeezing of 7.5 dB are detected using a home-made balanced homodyne detector. This squeezed vacuum at an atomic transition in the kilohertz range is an ideal quantum source for quantum metrology of enhancing measurement precision, especially for ultra-sensitive measurement of weak magnetic fields when using a Cs atomic magnetometer in the audio frequency range.
We report the experimental generation of a squeezed vacuum at frequencies ranging from 2.5 kHz to 200 kHz that is resonant on the cesium D2 line by using a below-threshold optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO is based on a periodically-poled KTiOPO 4 (PPKTP) crystal that is pumped using a bow-tie four-mirror ring frequency doubler. The phase of the squeezed light is controlled using a quantum noise locking technique. At a pump power of 115 mW, maximum quadrature phase squeezing of 3.5 dB and anti-squeezing of 7.5 dB are detected using a home-made balanced homodyne detector. This squeezed vacuum at an atomic transition in the kilohertz range is an ideal quantum source for quantum metrology of enhancing measurement precision, especially for ultra-sensitive measurement of weak magnetic fields when using a Cs atomic magnetometer in the audio frequency range.
Squeezed states are important sources in quantum physics, which have potential applications in fields such as quantum teleportation, quantum information networks, quantum memory, and quantum metrology and precise measurements. For our interest, the squeezed vacuum will be used in the quantum-enhanced optical atomic magnetometers, filling the vacuum port of the probe beam to improve measurement sensitivity. Based on the sub-threshold optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with PPKTP crystal, the squeezed vacuum at rubidium D1 line of 795 nm is obtained. In our work, we investigate the noise sources in an OPO system. By carefully controlling the classical noise source, the squeezing band extends to the analysis frequency of 2.6 kHz. The flat squeezing trace is 2.8 dB below the shot noise limit. In our work, we focus on the difference between the squeezing results at the analysis frequency of kilohertz regime at two different wavelengths, 1064 nm and 795 nm. The difference mainly comes from the absorption of 795 nm laser and its second harmonic at 397.5 nm in crystal (397.5 nm laser is at the edge of transparent window of PPKTP crystal that has an absorption index much higher than at other wavelength). The absorption induced nonlinear loss and thermal instability greatly affect the squeezing results, which is discussed in our work. Squeezing level at 795 nm is worse than at 1064 nm due to the above-mentioned factors. Noise coupling to the detection system limits the squeezing band. In the audio frequency band, squeezing is easily submerged in roll-up noises and the measured squeezing level is limited. Two factors limit the obtained squeezing:the technical noise induced in the detection and the squeezing degradation by the noise coupling of the control beams. In experiment, we carefully control the classical noise at analytical frequency of kilohertz by means of a vacuum-injected OPO, a counter-propagating cavity locking beam with orthogonal polarization, low noise homodyne detector, stable experimental system and quantum noise locking method for squeezing phase locking. Firstly, to preclude the classical noise from coupling the laser source, we use the vacuum injected OPO. A signal beam helps optimize the parametric gain and is blocked in the squeezing measurement process. In order to maintain the OPO, a counter-propagating beam with orthogonal polarization is used for locking the cavity. Then, a low noise balanced homodyne detector with a common-mode rejection ratio of 45 dB helps improve the audio frequency detection. Finally, the quantum noise locking provides a method to lock the relative phase between the coherent beam and the squeezed vacuum field. With the combination of these technical improvements, a squeezed vacuum of 2.8 dB is obtained at the analysis frequency of 2.6-100 kHz. The obtained squeezing level is mainly limited by the relatively large loss in OPO, which is induced by ultra-violet absorption in PPKTP crystal. The generated squeezed field is used to reduce the polarization noise of probe beam in an optical magnetometer, in order to increase detection sensitivity.
Squeezed state of light is an important resource of optical measuerments below the shot noise limit and has been used to improve measurement sensitivity in many areas such as gravitational wave detection, especially in audio frequency region. Compared with the high-frequency squeezed states, the generation of the low-frequency squeezed states is more difficult, because it is limited by several technical noise sources. In this paper we report the observation of more than 2 dB of vacuum squeezing at 1064 nm in the gravitational-wave detection band down to 3 kHz with a double-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO has a configuration of linear cavity consisting of an input coupling mirror with a transmission of 11% at 532 nm and an output coupling mirror with the transmission of 12% at 1064 nm. The nonlinear materials in the OPO is type-I periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) crystal which is chosen for this experiment due to its higher nonlinearity, broader phase matching temperature, and smaller photo-thermal effect. The OPO is pumped by the light of 532 nm from Nd: YVO4/KTP solid-state laser of maximum optical power 3 W. To avoid various noise coupled from the seed beam, the OPO is seeded by vacuum fluctuations instead of coherent field at the fundamental wavelength (1064 nm). A Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) locking scheme is used to lock the OPO cavity length with the signal derived from the reflected pump beam, so as to lock the pump field and also lock the fundamental field. To make both the pump and seed beams resonant simultaneously, the temperature of the PPKTP is carefully adjusted. The squeezed state can be detected on a homodyne detection by interfering it with the local oscillator (LO) and detected by a balanced detector with two photodiodes (EXT500 T) but having the same quantum efficiency of 86% at 1064 nm. The subsequent electronic noise is analyzed with a low-frequency spectrum analyzer, which shows that the audio noise sources from lab enviroment, locking quality, escape efficiency, propagation loss, homodyne efficiency and detection efficiency have effect on the squeezing pruced by an OPO.
Squeezed vacuum states at audio-band frequencies are important quantum resources for practical applications. We demonstrated the generation of squeezed vacuum states at the audio-band frequencies from a subthreshold optical parametric oscillator with a periodically poled KTiOPO4 crystal pumped by a homemade continuous wave single-frequency dual-wavelength laser. To detect squeezed vacuum states at audio-band frequencies, the influences of the local oscillator (LO) power, the common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of balanced homodyne detectors, and the phase jitter between the LO and squeezed vacuum field on the measurement of squeezed vacuum states at audio-band frequencies were considered. By optimizing the LO power, improving the CMRR of photodetectors to 67 dB based on the design of differential fine-tuning circuit and adjustable bias voltage, and reducing the phase jitter between the LO and squeezed vacuum field to 1.7° with the help of the coherent locking technique, 6.1 ± 0.3 dB squeezed vacuum states at audio frequencies from 5 kHz to 20 kHz were generated. A 3.0 ± 0.3 dB phase squeezed vacuum state was obtained at the audio frequency of 3.5 kHz.
The non-classical light resonance on the cesium D1 (894.6 nm) line has important applications in solid-state quantum information networks due to its unique advantages. The cesium D1 line has a simplified hyperfine structure and can be used to realize a light-atom interface. In our previous work, we demonstrated 2.8-dB quadrature squeezed vacuum light at cesium D1 line in an optical parametric oscillator(OPO) with a periodically poled KTP(PPKTP) crystal. However, the squeezing level is relatively low, and the tunability that has practical significance for squeezed light has not been further investigated. Theoretically, the increase of the transmittance of output mirror and the decrease of the intra-cavity loss of the OPO can improve the squeezing level. Here, we use super-polished and optimal coating cavity mirrors to improve the nonlinear process in OPO. We prepare 447.3 nm blue light from 894.6 nm fundamental light by a second harmonic generation cavity (SHG). The SHG is a two-mirror standing-wave cavity with a PPKTP crystal as the nonlinear medium. The power of generated blue laser is 32 mW when the incident infrared power is 120 mW. Using the blue light to pump an OPO, we achieve quadrature squeezed vacuum light at cesium D1 line. The OPO is a two-mirror standing-wave cavity with a PPKTP crystal. The threshold of OPO is reduced to 28 mW. The squeezing level of generated quadrature squeezed vacuum light is increased to 3.3 dB when the pump power is 15 mW. Taking into account the overall detection efficiency, the actual squeezing reaches 5.5 dB. We inject a weak signal beam into the OPO cavity to act as an optical parametric amplifier (OPA), and test the tunability of squeezzed light. The blue light and the squeezed light are tuned by using a low-frequency triangular wave signal to scan the Ti: sapphire laser. Gradually increasing the amplitude of the scanning triangle wave signal, the generated bright squeezed light can be continuously tuned over a range around 80 MHz without losing the stability of the whole system. The generated squeezed light offers the possibility for the efficient coupling between the non-classical source and solid medium in the process of quantum interface.
Continuous variable (CV) audio-band frequency squeezed states at the fiber telecommunication wavelength is an important quantum resource for the practical applications based on optical fiber. As is well known, the optical power attenuation and phase diffusion effect of light at 1.3 μm in standard telecommunication fibres are low and small, respectively. The audio-band frequency squeezed light at 1.34 μm can be utilized to realize quantum precision measurement, such as quantum-enhanced sensing in the low-frequency range, laser interferometer for gravitational wave detection. In this paper, CV audio-band frequency vacuum squeezed states at 1.3 μm are experimentally generated by using a type-I degenerate optical parametric oscillator (DOPO) below the threshold. A home-made continuous-wave single-frequency dual-wavelength (671 nm and 1.34 μm) Nd:YVO4/LBO laser is used as a pump source for DOPO based on a type-I quasi-phase-matched periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP) crystal. Mode cleaners with a finesse of 400 and linewidth of 0.75 MHz are used to filter the noise of lasers at 671 nm and 1.34 μm, respectively. The intensity noises of the two lasers reach a shot noise level for analysis frequencies higher than 1.0 MHz and their phase noises reach shot noise level for analysis frequencies higher than 1.3 MHz, respectively. The low noise single-frequency 671 nm laser is utilized as a pump of the DOPO. The threshold power of the DOPO is 450 mW. In order to detect the audio-band frequency vacuum squeezed states, the power of local oscillator of a homodyne detector system is optimized to 60 μupW. Furthermore, the effect of common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of detectors is discussed in detecting the audio-band frequency vacuum squeezed states. Improvement of CMRR of detectors is a good way to detect the audio-band frequency vacuum squeezed states effectively. When the phase matching temperature of PPKTP crystal is controlled at 53℃ by using a home-made temperature controller and the pump power is 95 mW, the vacuum squeezed states are generated at analysis frequency ranging from 8-100 kHz. A maximum measured squeeze of 5.0 dB is obtained at analysis frequency of 36 kHz. A 3.0 dB squeezed light is obtained at an audio-band frequency of 8 kHz.