In recent years, quantum technology has expanded its reach across a wide range of fields. Pulsed squeezing, in particular, holds significant promise for advancing quantum-enhanced nonlinear microscopy as well as high-speed quantum computing and communication. However, the performance of pulsed squeezing using the widely adopted Ti:sapphire laser has been rarely investigated, especially in the picosecond regime. Here, we report record-level picosecond pulsed squeezing of -4.41 dB generated with a Ti:sapphire laser, together with a method for time-domain phase characterization of picosecond pulsed squeezed light. We anticipate that these results will promote the broader adoption of quantum systems based on the versatile, broadband-tunable Ti:sapphire platform and foster a deeper understanding of pulsed squeezed light.
Squeezed states of light enable enhanced measurement precision by reducing noise below the standard quantum limit. A key application of squeezed light is nonlinear microscopy, where state-of-the-art performance is limited by photodamage and quantum-limited noise. Such microscopes require bright, pulsed light for optimal operation, yet generating and detecting bright pulsed squeezing at high levels remains challenging. In this work, we present an efficient technique to generate high levels of bright picosecond pulsed squeezed light using a
χ2 optical parametric amplification process in a waveguide. We measure
−3.2 dB of bright squeezing with optical power compatible with nonlinear microscopy, as well as
−3.6 dB of vacuum squeezing. Corrected for losses, these squeezing levels correspond to
−15.4−8.7+2.7 dB of squeezing generated in the waveguide. The measured level of bright amplitude pulsed squeezing is to our knowledge the highest reported to date, and will contribute to the broader adoption of quantum-enhanced nonlinear microscopy in biological studies.
We report generation of 10.1\pm0.2-dB squeezed light from a broadband periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Based on our previous report where a similar PPLN waveguide shows 8.3-dB squeezing [T. Kashiwazaki et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 234003 (2023)], we reduce phase fluctuations and overall optical losses in the measurement system. In particular, we introduce a novel phase detection technique that does not require tapping a part of the squeezed light to get a phase locking signal. We use a phase-detection OPA seeded by a tapped probe and pump light before a squeezer OPA. This configuration breaks the conventional trade-off between generating a phase-locking signal with high-signal-to-noise ratio and suppressing degradation of squeezing level caused by optical tapping. With all these improvements, the phase fluctuation angle is reduced from 14 mrad to 9 mrad, and the total optical loss from 12\% to 8\%. Achieving more than 10 dB of squeezing by the broadband waveguide OPA is a significant step towards realization of fault-tolerant ultra-fast universal optical quantum computation.
We report the generation of squeezed light at 1550 nm, as well as the corresponding degradation analyses, from a fiber-based periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide chip. As an optical parametric amplifier (OPA), the highest squeezing level reaches over -3.0 dB. The performance of this on-chip squeezer is analyzed with the help of machine-learning quantum state tomography, to estimate the optical loss and phase noise, as well as the purity of the generated squeezed states at different pump powers. For quantum integrated optical circuits, our results provides a systematic characterization on the quantum light sources in continues variables.
Abstract Achieving a high level of pulsed squeezing, in a platform which offers integration and stability, is a key requirement for continuous-variable quantum information processing. Typically highly squeezed states are achieved with narrow band optical cavities and bulk crystals, limiting scalability. Using single-pass parametric down conversion in an integrated optical device, we demonstrate quadrature squeezing of picosecond pulses in a thin-film lithium niobate strip-loaded waveguide. For on-chip peak powers of less than 0.3 W, we measure up to −0.33 ± 0.07 dB of squeezing with an inferred on-chip value of −1.7 ± 0.4 dB. This work highlights the potential of the strip-loaded waveguide platform for broadband squeezing applications and the development of photonic quantum technologies.
Abstract Quantum noise limits the sensitivity of optical measurements, but squeezed states of light enable quantum-enhanced metrology, sensing, and information processing. Most on-chip squeezed-light sources rely on Kerr (χ(3)) nonlinearities, remain limited by pump power and excess loss constraints. Quadratic (χ(2)) platforms instead provide stronger parametric interactions, lower pump power requirements, and greater spectral engineering flexibility. Here, we demonstrate strong, broadband squeezed-light generation on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chip using a dual-resonant optical parametric amplifier implemented in a single periodically poled LN (PPLN) microresonator. Near-full-depth domain inversion is achieved simultaneously with highly over-coupled resonances, exhibiting escape efficiencies exceeding 90% and intrinsic quality factors above 2.5 million in a 0.6mm2 X-cut TF-PPLN resonator, enabling efficient squeezing at 1587nm when pumped at 793.5 nm. Operating in the continuous-wave regime, we directly measure −0.81 dB of squeezing below the shot-noise limit with a pump power of 27mW, together with +4.29 dB of anti-squeezing. From these measurements, we infer an on-chip squeezing level of −7.52 dB±0.22 dB (95% confidence interval: [−7.96,−7.10] dB), and an on-chip anti-squeezing level of +9.62 dB±0.25 dB . We demonstrate single-mode squeezing at degeneracy with a squeezed-light spectrum exceeding 10.3 THz. This work reports the highest squeezing ratio among integrated χ(2) cavity platforms and the first quasi-phase matched, fully resonant χ(2) cavity squeezer on chip, establishing a scalable route to fully integrated power-efficient squeezed-light sources for quantum-enhanced sensing and metrology.
Quantum noise limits the sensitivity of optical measurements, but squeezed states of light enable quantum-enhanced metrology, sensing, and information processing. Most on-chip squeezed-light sources rely on Kerr (
χ(3)) nonlinearities, remain limited by pump power and excess loss constraints. Quadratic (
χ(2)) platforms instead provide stronger parametric interactions, lower pump power requirements, and greater spectral engineering flexibility. Here, we demonstrate strong, broadband squeezed-light generation on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chip using a dual-resonant optical parametric amplifier implemented in a single periodically poled LN (PPLN) microresonator. Near-full-depth domain inversion is achieved simultaneously with highly over-coupled resonances, exhibiting escape efficiencies exceeding 90% and intrinsic quality factors above 2.5 million in a 0.6 mm
2 X-cut TF-PPLN resonator, enabling efficient squeezing at 1587 nm when pumped at 793.5 nm. Operating in the continuous-wave regime, we directly measure -0.81 dB of squeezing below the shot-noise limit with a pump power of 27 mW, together with +4.29 dB of anti-squeezing. From these measurements, we infer an on-chip squeezing level of -7.52 dB
± 0.22 dB (95% confidence interval: [-7.96,-7.10] dB), and an on-chip anti-squeezing level of +9.62 dB
± 0.25 dB. We demonstrate single-mode squeezing at degeneracy with a squeezed-light spectrum exceeding 10.3 THz. This work reports the highest squeezing ratio among integrated
χ(2) cavity platforms and the first quasi-phase matched, fully resonant
χ(2) cavity squeezer on chip, establishing a scalable route to fully integrated power-efficient squeezed-light sources for quantum-enhanced sensing and metrology.