Abstract Quantum squeezing, which makes measurement sensitivity beyond classical limit by reducing system noise, is an essential non-classical resource for quantum metrology. It is of great importance to enhance quantum squeezing since the squeezing degree directly determines the extent to which measurement sensitivity beats the classical limit. Recently, a two-mode phase-sensitive amplifier has been utilized to enhance the quantum squeezing of phase-insensitive amplifier. However, such enhancement has an intrinsic limit of 3 dB. Here we show that such limit of 3 dB can be overcome by utilizing multi-beam interference. Specifically, a quantum squeezing enhancement of about 3.67 dB is observed by direct measurement. Moreover, we find that the amount of quantum squeezing enhancement increases as the number of multi-beam interference increases, which clearly shows that beating the quantum squeezing enhancement limit of 3 dB is induced by multi-beam interference. Our results here provide an efficient way to enhance the quantum squeezing.
Abstract Quantum squeezing, which makes measurement sensitivity beyond classical limit by reducing system noise, is an essential non-classical resource for quantum metrology. It is of great importance to enhance quantum squeezing since the squeezing degree directly determines the extent to which measurement sensitivity beats the classical limit. Recently, a two-mode phase-sensitive amplifier has been utilized to enhance the quantum squeezing of phase-insensitive amplifier. However, such enhancement has an intrinsic limit of 3 dB. Here we show that such limit of 3 dB can be overcome by utilizing multi-beam interference. Specifically, a quantum squeezing enhancement of about 3.67 dB is observed by direct measurement. Moreover, we find that the amount of quantum squeezing enhancement increases as the number of multi-beam interference increases, which clearly shows that beating the quantum squeezing enhancement limit of 3 dB is induced by multi-beam interference. Our results here provide an efficient way to enhance the quantum squeezing.
We experimentally demonstrate a method for realizing quantum squeezing enhancement which is induced by the interference in a two-beam phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) based on a four-wave mixing process. Compared to the normal phase-insensitive amplifier with an intensity-difference squeezing (IDS) of 8.97±0.24 dB or 8.76±0.26 dB, the IDS of our two-beam PSA is enhanced to 10.13±0.21 dB under the same experimental situation. Furthermore, we study how various parameters influence the quantum squeezing enhancement of the PSA. These results clearly show that the physical mechanism inducing the IDS enhancement of the two-beam PSA is its intrinsic interference nature. Our results may find potential applications in improving the fidelity of quantum information processing and the precision of quantum metrology.
Quantum squeezed states, exhibiting noise reduction below the shot-noise limit, are important resources in quantum optics. The degree of quantum squeezing directly influences the performance of physical systems, making the achievement of higher squeezing levels essential. Here, by utilizing the phase-sensitive cascaded four-wave mixing (PSCFWM) processes, we experimentally demonstrate the enhancement of three-beam quantum squeezing. The intensity-difference squeezing among the three output beams from PSCFWM processes is about 8.2 dB, which is enhanced by about 1.3 dB compared with that generated by phase-insensitive cascaded four-wave mixing processes. Our scheme provides an effective way for enhancing multi-beam quantum squeezing and holds promise for applications in multimode quantum correlated imaging and multiparameter quantum precision measurement.
We experimentally realize the enhancement of six-beam quantum squeezing by utilizing a six-beam phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) based on cascaded four-wave mixing processes. Compared to the intensity-difference squeezing (IDS) of about 5.03 or 5.09 dB generated by a six-beam phase-insensitive amplifier (PIA), the six-beam IDS generated by the six-beam PSA is enhanced to about 6.64 dB. The intrinsic interference of six-beam PSA induces this enhancement. In addition, we investigate the dependence of IDS generated by the six-beam PSA and PIAs on the powers of two pump beams. The results show that the IDS of six-beam PSA is always better than that of six-beam PIAs. Our scheme may find potential applications in high-precision multi-parameter quantum metrology.
While the squeezing of a propagating field can, in principle, be made arbitrarily strong, the cavity-field squeezing is subject to the well-known 3 dB limit, and thus has limited applications. Here, we propose the use of a fully quantum degenerate parametric amplifier (DPA) to beat this squeezing limit. Specifically, we show that by simply applying a two-tone driving to the signal mode, the pump mode can, counterintuitively, be driven by the photon loss of the signal mode into a squeezed steady state with, in principle, an arbitrarily high degree of squeezing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this intracavity squeezing can increase the signal-to-noise ratio of longitudinal qubit readout exponentially with the degree of squeezing. Correspondingly, an improvement of the measurement error by many orders of magnitude can be achieved even for modest parameters. In stark contrast, using intracavity squeezing of the semiclassical DPA cannot practically increase the signal-to-noise ratio and thus improve the measurement error. Our results extend the range of applications of DPAs and open up new opportunities for modern quantum technologies.
Optical phase-insensitive heterodyne (beat-note) detection, which measures the relative phase of two beams at different frequencies through their interference, is a key sensing technology for various spatial/temporal measurements, such as frequency measurements in optical frequency combs. However, its sensitivity is limited not only by shot noise from the signal frequency band but also by the extra shot noise from an image band, known as the 3-dB noise penalty. Here, we propose a method to remove shot noise from all these bands using squeezed light. We also demonstrate beyond-3-dB noise reduction experimentally, confirming that our method actually reduces shot noise from both the signal and extra bands simultaneously. Our work should boost the sensitivity of various spatial/temporal measurements beyond the current limitations.
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.