Quantum Correlated Twin Beams Research Articles

Observation of quantum-correlated twin beams in cascaded nonlinear interactions.

We report on the generation of twin beams through a cascaded process of optical parametric oscillation in a doubly resonant second-harmonic generation system. These bright beams exhibit strong quantum correlations, enabling the observation of up to 5 dB of noise reduction in their intensity difference below the standard quantum limit.

Two-Color Quantum Correlation between Down-Conversion Beams at 1.5 and 3.3 μm from a Singly Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator

We demonstrated a two-color quantum correlation between the down-conversion beams with a telecommunication wavelength at 1.5 μm and mid-infrared wavelength at 3.3 μm generated by a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) operated above the pump threshold with a magnesium-oxide doped periodically-poled lithium niobate crystal in the cavity. A maximum of 1.8 dB noise reduction of the intensity difference of the twin beams was measured at the analysis frequency of 5 MHz. Based on a theoretical model for the quantum correlation between the twin beams given by a semi-classical approach, the influence of the analysis frequency and pump parameter on the quantum correlation between the twin beams was discussed theoretically and experimentally. The quantum correlation between the twin beams was degraded at the analysis frequencies above 5 MHz due to the limitation of the bandwidth of SRO cavity and was degraded at the analysis frequencies below 5 MHz due to the excess intensity noise of the pump. The two-color quantum correlated twin beams at 1.5 and 3.3 μm have potential applications in high-precision measurements beyond the shot noise level.

Quantum beam splitter for orbital angular momentum of light: quantum correlation by four-wave mixing operated in a nonamplifying regime.

Nondegenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) process based on a double-Λ scheme in hot alkali metal vapor is a versatile tool in quantum state engineering, quantum imaging, and quantum precision measurements. In this Letter, we investigate the generation of quantum correlated twin beams which carry nonzero orbital angular momentums (OAMs) based on the FWM process in hot cesium vapor. The amplified probe beam and the newly generated conjugate beam in the FWM process have the same and opposite topological charge as the seed beam, respectively. We also explore the FWM process operated in a nonamplifying regime where quantum correlated twin beams carrying OAMs can still be generated. In this regime, the FWM process plays the role of quantum beam splitter for the OAM of light; that is, a device that can split a coherent light beam carrying OAM into quantum-correlated twin beams carrying OAMs. More generally, our setup can be used as a quantum beam splitter of images.

Compact sub-kilohertz low-frequency quantum light source based on four-wave mixing in cesium vapor.

Using a nondegenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) process based on a double-Λ scheme in hot cesium vapor, we demonstrate a compact diode-laser-pumped quantum light source for the generation of quantum correlated twin beams with a maximum squeezing of 6.5dB. The squeezing is observed at a Fourier frequency in the audio band down to 0.7kHz which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first observation of sub-kilohertz intensity-difference squeezing in an atomic system so far. A phase-matching condition is also investigated in our system, which confirms the spatial-multi-mode characteristics of the FWM process. Our compact low-frequency squeezed light source may find applications in quantum imaging, quantum metrology, and the transfer of optical squeezing onto a matter wave.

Generating quantum correlated twin beams by four-wave mixing in hot cesium vapor

Using a nondegenerate four-wave mixing process based on a double-$\Lambda$ scheme in hot cesium vapor, we generate quantum correlated twin beams with a maximum intensity-difference squeezing of 6.5 dB. The substantially improved squeezing can be mainly attributed to very good frequency and phase-difference stability between the pump and probe beams in our experiment. Intensity-difference squeezing can be observed within a wide experimental parameter range, which guarantees its robust generation. Since this scheme produces multi-spatial-mode twin beams at the Cs $D_{1}$ line, it is of interest for experiments involving quantum imaging and coherent interfaces between atomic and solid-state systems.

Experimental investigation of high-frequency-difference twin beams in hot cesium atoms

We experimentally investigate the quantum-correlated twin beams generated through stimulated nondegenerate four-wave mixing in the double-lambda atomic system. A 2.5-dB noise reduction of intensity difference with 18.4-GHz frequency difference at the cesium ${D}_{1}$ line is observed in a Cs vapor cell. The quantitative theoretical analysis reveals the experimental difficulty in getting high quantum correlation in Cs atoms because of the large hyperfine splitting of the ground states. However, it is favorable for obtaining quantum correlation in a wide range of pump detunings and relative long lengths of vapor cells. This quantum correlation provides a potential resource for possible coherent interfaces between atomic and solid-state systems due to its wavelength at the Cs ${D}_{1}$ line which lies well within the wavelength regime of the exciton emission from InAs quantum dots.

Generation of Spatially Broadband Twin Beams for Quantum Imaging

We generate spatially multimode twin beams using 4-wave mixing in a hot atomic vapor in a phase-insensitive traveling-wave amplifier configuration. The far-field coherence area measured at 3.5 MHz is shown to be much smaller than the angular bandwidth of the process and bright twin images with independently quantum-correlated subareas can be generated with little distortion. The available transverse degrees of freedom form a high-dimensional Hilbert space that we use to produce quantum-correlated twin beams with finite orbital angular momentum.

Transfer of intensity quantum correlation with twin beams

We demonstrate experimentally a protocol of transferring nonclassical quantum properties using two pairs of quantum-correlated twin beams in the continuous variable regime. The intensity quantum correlation from one twin beam is transferred to two initially independent idler beams with the help of a displacement transformation. It makes two originally independent beams exhibit an intensity quantum correlation of 0.8 dB below shot-noise level.

Preparation and measurement of tunable high-power sub-Poissonian light using twin beams

Widely frequency tunable bright sub-Poissonian field preparation has been experimentally achieved with quantum-correlated twin beams in the continuously variable regime. The noise of the sub-Poissonian field is reduced to more than 2 dB below the shot-noise level throughout the entire wavelength-tunable range of 7.4 nm. A maximum noise reduction of 45% (2.6 dB) is observed. The statistical distribution of a sub-Poissonian field is also obtained.

Experimental Characterization of Quantum-Correlated Twin Beams and a Quantum Channel with Twin Beams

We report the generation and characterization of quantum-correlated twin beams and their application to a quantum channel. Compared with our previous results, the characterization of twin beams and the quantum channel have been studied with 7.0-dB intensity difference squeezing. The measured inference variance of twin beams is decreased to 0.40 ± 0.02. For the quantum channel, the bit error rate will be 0.035 by using 7.0-dB intensity difference squeezing compared with our previous result of 0.067 by using 4.9-dB intensity difference squeezing.

Generation of twin beams from an optical parametric oscillator pumped by a frequency-doubled diode laser.

Quantum-correlated twin beams were generated from a triply resonant optical parametric oscillator with an a-cut KTP crystal pumped by a frequency-doubled diode laser. A total output of 5.1 mW was obtained in the classical-nonclassical light-conversion system driven by a 50-mW diode laser at 1080 nm. A quantum-noise reduction of 4.3 dB (63%) in the intensity difference between the twin beams was successfully observed at the detection frequency of 3 MHz.

Single-beam noise characteristics of quantum-correlated twin beams

We investigated the intensity noise spectra of a single beam of a pump-enhanced continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which was used to generate quantum-correlated twin beams, as a function of the pump power. With a triply (pump-, signal-, and idler-) resonant cavity, the oscillation threshold of our OPO was 8.5±1.3 mW and the measured slope conversion efficiency was 0.72±0.02. Twin beams with a power of 240 mW were generated at a pump power of 350 mW. The relaxation oscillation frequencies, which depend on the pump power, were observed when the pump power of the OPO was 12.5–28 mW. The experimental results confirm the predicted increase in OPO relaxation frequency with pump power. We experimentally inferred squeezing of the single-beam intensity, for the first time to our knowledge, by exploiting the nature of quantum noise that is dependent on loss.

Generation of Quantum-Correlated Twin Beams and Its Application

The signal and idler beams from a non-degenerate, above threshold, optical parametric oscillator have a strong quantum correlation, which are called twin beams. This correlation arises from the simultaneous generation of the signal and idler photons in the form of twin pairs of photons through the parametric down conversion, and the generated twin beams have exactly the same photon statistics. As a result, the fluctuations on the difference between the intensities of the twin beams are reduced with respect to the shot noise limit, that is, intensity-difference squeezing. We give a comprehensive overview of the generation of twin beams using the optical parametric oscillator, and the applications exploiting the quantum correlation of twin beams are presented.

Application of an all-solid-state, frequency-doubled Nd:YAP laser to the generation of twin beams at 1080 nm.

A laser-diode-pumped intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YAP/KTP laser is presented. Over 110 mw of TEM00 single-frequency output power at 540-nm wavelength was obtained. The output green laser was employed to pump a semimonolithic nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator to produce intensity quantum correlated twin beams at 1080 nm, and the maximum quantum noise squeezing of 74% (5.9dB) on the intensity difference fluctuation between the twin beams is observed. The threshold was reduced and the stability was increased significantly when compared with similar lamp-pumped systems.

Interferometric detection of optical phase shift using twin beams

An interferometric detection scheme to measure optical phase shift with sensitivity beyond the shot noise limit is proposed. The theoretical calculation shows that using the quantum correlated twin beams produced from an optical parametric amplifier as the input fields of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the minimum detectable phase shift will exceed the shot noise limit N-1/2 and approach the Heisenberg limit N-1. The parametric dependences of the minimum detectable phase shift on the nonlinear interaction, input photon number, and detection efficiency are shown.

Generation and application of twin beams from an optical parametric oscillator including an ?-cut KTP crystal

Measurement slight amounts of absorption of light with accuracy beyond the standard quantum limit has been experimentally demonstrated. The quantum-correlated twin beams used in the measurement were generated from a nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator including an alpha-cut KTiOPO(4) crystal pumped by an intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. The noise in the intensity difference between the twin beams was reduced by 88% below the standard quantum limit (SQL). The signal-to-noise ratio was improved by 7 dB with respect to the SQL of the total light employed in the experiment and by 4 dB with respect to that of the signal light.

Quantum correlated light beams and sub-Poissonian electrical partition noise in parallel and series coupled semiconductor light emitters.

Quantum correlated twin beams have been generated using series and parallel coupled light emitting diodes. Furthermore, sub-Poissonian light, with a noise level 1.4 dB below the standard quatnum limit, has been measured in both circuits. From the parallel coupled setup it could be deduced that electrical partition noise may be made negligible.

Quantum correlated twin beams

We discuss recent progress in the study of the non-classical properties of light beams generated by non-degenerate parametric splitting in χ(2) nonlinear birefringent crystals, with special emphasis on their quantum correlation (“twin beams”). We describe experimental results using successively pure parametric fluorescence, parametric amplification of a weak signal beam pumped by a pulsed laser, and parametric oscillation in a cavity pumped by a cw laser. In this review, we compare the respective advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches.