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arXiv:quant-ph/0112072 · Physical Review A

Vacuum squeezing in atomic media via self-rotation

Andrey B. Matsko, Irina V. Novikova, George R. Welch, Dmitry Budker, Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Simon Rochester

Published Oct 30, 2002• 96 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

When linearly polarized light propagates through a medium in which elliptically polarized light would undergo self-rotation, squeezed vacuum can appear in the orthogonal polarization. A simple relationship between self-rotation and the degree of vacuum squeezing is developed. Taking into account absorption, we find the optimum conditions for squeezing in any medium that can produce self-rotation. We then find analytic expressions for the amount of vacuum squeezing produced by an atomic vapor when light is near-resonant with a transition between various low-angular-momentum states. Finally, we consider a gas of multilevel Rb atoms, and analyze squeezing for light tuned near the D lines under realistic conditions.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.66.043815

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When linearly polarized light propagates through a medium in which elliptically polarized light would undergo self-rotation, squeezed vacuum can appear in the orthogonal polarization. A simple relationship between self-rotation and the degree of vacuum squeezing is developed. Taking into account absorption, we find the optimum conditions for squeezing in any medium that can produce self-rotation. We then find analytic expressions for the amount of vacuum squeezing produced by an atomic vapor when light is near-resonant with a transition between various low-angular-momentum states. Finally, we consider a gas of multilevel Rb atoms, and analyze squeezing for light tuned near the D lines under realistic conditions.
Summary form only given. We suggest a promising way to obtain the squeezing of vacuum fluctuations. We study the interaction of linearly polarized light with atoms in a double-/spl Lambda/ configuration, where the two lower levels are Zeeman sublevels of the atomic ground state and the upper levels are the hyperfine components of the atomic excited state. In such systems, Kerr nonlinearity associated with the ac-Stark effect causes self-rotation of the elliptical polarization. At the same time when the linearly polarized light traverses such a medium, a squeezed vacuum is produced in the orthogonal polarization.
Nonclassical states of light are of increasing interest due to their applications in the emerging field of quantum information processing and communication. Squeezed light is such a state of the electromagnetic field in which the quantum noise properties are altered compared with those of coherent light. Squeezed light and squeezed vacuum states are potentially useful for quantum information protocols as well as optical measurements, where sensitivities can be limited by quantum noise. We experimentally study a source of squeezed vacuum resulting from the interaction of near-resonant light with both cold and hot Rb atoms via the nonlinear polarization self-rotation effect (PSR). We investigate the optimal conditions for noise reduction in the resulting squeezed states, reaching quadrature squeezing levels of up to 2.6 dB below shot noise, as well as observing noise reduction for a broad range of detection frequencies, from tens of kHz to several MHz. We use this source of squeezed vacuum at 795 nm to further study the noise properties of these states and how they are affected by resonant atomic interactions. This includes the use of a squeezed light probe to give a quantum enhancement to an optical magnetometer, as well as studying the propagation of squeezed vacuum in an atomic medium under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We also investigate the propagation of pulses of quantum squeezed light through a dispersive atomic medium, where we examine the possibilities for quantum noise signals traveling at subluminal and superluminal velocities. The interaction of squeezed light with resonant atomic vapors finds various potential applications in both quantum measurements and continuous variable quantum memories.
We observed squeezed vacuum light at 795 nm in 87 Rb vapor via resonant polarization self-rotation, and report noise sidebands suppression of ≈ 1 dB below shot noise level spanning from acoustic (30 kHz) to MHz frequencies. This is the first demonstration of sub-MHz quadrature vacuum squeezing in atomic systems. The spectral range of observed squeezing matches well typical bandwidths of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances, making this simple technique for generation of optical fields with non-classical statistics at atomic transitions wavelengths attractive for EIT-based quantum information protocols applications.
We observed squeezed vacuum light at 795 nm in (87)Rb vapor via resonant polarization self-rotation and report noise sidebands suppression of approximately 1 dB below shot-noise level spanning from 30 kHz to 1.2 MHz frequencies. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of submegahertz quadrature vacuum squeezing in atomic systems. The spectral range of observed squeezing matches well typical bandwidths of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances, making this simple technique for generation of optical fields with nonclassical statistics at atomic transitions wavelengths attractive for EIT-based quantum information protocols applications.
We present experimental and theoretical analysis of quantum fluctuation in a vacuum field in the presence of orthogonal linearly polarized pump field propagating through a Rb vapor cell. Previously reported theoretical and experimental studies provided somewhat contradictory conclusions regarding the possibility to observe the "squeezed vacuum" -- the reduction of vacuum fluctuations below standard quantum limit -- in this system. Here, using the D1 transitions of Rb in a cell without buffer as as an example, we demonstrate that vacuum squeezing is corrupted by incoherent processes (such as spontaneous emission, elastic scattering, etc.), and its observation is only possible in a specific small region of the experimental parameter space. Numerical simulations, in good agreement with the experiment, demonstrate that the two excited state hyperfine levels play a crucial role in the squeezing and excess noise production. The significant influence of far-detuned atoms on the field fluctuations at low noise frequencies imposes the explicit consideration of the full velocity distribution of the atomic vapor.
We present experimental and theoretical analysis of quantum fluctuation in a vacuum field in the presence of an orthogonal linearly polarized pump field propagating through a Rb vapor cell. Previously reported theoretical and experimental studies provided somewhat contradictory conclusions regarding the possibility of observing the ‘squeezed vacuum’–the reduction of vacuum fluctuations below the standard quantum limit–in this system. Here, using the D1 transitions of Rb in a cell without a buffer as an example, we demonstrate that vacuum squeezing is corrupted by incoherent processes (such as spontaneous emission, elastic scattering, etc), and its observation is only possible in a specific small region of the experimental parameter space. Numerical simulations, in good agreement with the experiment, demonstrate that the two excited state hyperfine levels play a crucial role in the squeezing and excess noise production. The significant influence of far-detuned atoms on the field fluctuations at low noise frequencies imposes the explicit consideration of the full velocity distribution of the atomic vapor.