Amplitude-squeezed Light
Author: the photonics expert Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta (RP)
Definition: light with an intensity noise below the shot noise level
- nonclassical states of light
- squeezed states of light
- amplitude-squeezed light
- phase-squeezed light
- squeezed states of light
Related: squeezed states of lightshot noisestandard quantum limit
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DOI: 10.61835/8pj Cite the article: BibTex BibLaTex plain textHTML Link to this page! LinkedIn
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What is Amplitude-squeezed Light?
Amplitude-squeezed light is light with an intensity noise level below the shot noise level, i.e. below the standard quantum limit. That reduced intensity noise can be obtained only at the expense of increased phase noise. In a phase space representation (see Figure 1), the uncertainty region becomes squeezed in the sense that it becomes narrower in the amplitude direction and wider in the phase direction. This is one form of squeezed states of light.
Generation of Amplitude-squeezed Light
Amplitude-squeezed light can be generated in different ways. One possibility is to drive a laser diode, held at a cryogenic temperature, with a very quiet electric current [4, 7]. In other cases, optical nonlinearities are exploited. For example, amplitude-squeezed light can be generated in a doubly resonant [5, 6] or singly resonant [8] frequency doubler.
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ section was generated with AI based on the article content and has been reviewed by the article’s author (RP).
What is amplitude-squeezed light?
Amplitude-squeezed light is light with an intensity noise level below the standard quantum limit, also known as the shot noise level. This reduction in amplitude noise comes at the cost of increased phase noise.
How can amplitude-squeezed light be generated?
It can be generated by driving a laser diode at cryogenic temperatures with a very quiet electric current. Another method uses optical nonlinearities, for example in a singly or doubly resonant frequency doubler.
Suppliers
Sponsored content: The RP Photonics Buyer's Guide contains two suppliers for squeezed light sources. Among them:

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These type-0 single-pass SPDC devices achieve 3 dB of squeezing at 1550 nm when pumped with a 775 nm CW laser and are characterized to customer specific requirements.
Why choose our squeezed light sources?
- Compact design
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Bibliography
| [1] | D. Walls, “Squeezed states of light”, Nature 306, 141 (1983); doi:10.1038/306141a0 |
| [2] | Y. Yamamoto et al., “Amplitude squeezing in a pump-noise-suppressed laser oscillator”, Phys. Rev. A 34 (5), 4025 (1986); doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.34.4025 |
| [3] | H. J. Kimble and D. Walls (eds.), Special Issue on squeezed light, J. Opt. Soc. Am B 4 (10) (1987) |
| [4] | S. Machida et al., “Observation of amplitude squeezing in a constant-current-driven semiconductor laser”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 58 (10), 1000 (1987); doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.1000 |
| [5] | S. F. Pereira et al., “Generation of squeezed light by intracavity frequency doubling”, Phys. Rev. A 38 (9), 4931 (1988); doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.38.4931 |
| [6] | A. Sizmann et al., “Observation of amplitude squeezing of the up-converted mode in second harmonic generation”, Opt. Commun. 80 (2), 138 (1990); doi:10.1016/0030-4018(90)90375-4 |
| [7] | W. H. Richardson et al., “Squeezed photon-number noise and sub-Poissonian electrical partition noise in a semiconductor laser”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 66 (22), 2867 (1991); doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.66.2867 |
| [8] | R. Paschotta et al., “Bright squeezed light from a singly-resonant frequency doubler”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 72 (24), 3807 (1994); doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.3807 |
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