Analysis of squeezed light source in band of alkali atom transitions based on cascaded optical parametric amplifiers

Abstract

The squeezed light field in the band of alkali metal atomic transitions is an important quantum resource in the field of quantum information and precision measurement. The wavelengths of atomic transition lines (760–860 nm) are relatively short. Limited by the gray-tracking effect of nonlinear crystals, the squeezing degree of the squeezed light in this band generated by the optical parametric amplifiers is low. Now, the squeezing is about 3–5 dB. Considering the problems in the experimental generation of the squeezed light at the wavelengths of atomic transitions, the variation law of quantum noise of the light field output from the single optical parametric amplifier with its physical parameters is studied theoretically, and the optimal physical parameters are obtained. To further improve the squeezing in the band of alkali metal atomic transitions, the cascaded optical parametric amplifiers are considered. Based on the basic theory of the optical parametric amplifiers, the theoretical model of the cascaded optical parametric amplifiers is constructed, in which the optical loss and phase noise of the cascaded optical loops are considered. Based on this, the quantum noise characteristics of the light field output from the cascaded system versus the optical loss and phase noise are analyzed at the frequencies of 2 MHz and 100 kHz, respectively. It is found that for the squeezing at 2 MHz, cascading 2 to 3 optical parametric amplifiers can significantly improve the squeezing under the premise of the low optical path loss and phase noise; for the squeezing in the low-frequency band, the enhancement of the squeezing for the cascaded system is quite weak. Under the current experimental parameters, the squeezing at 2 MHz of the squeezed light on rubidium resonance can be improved from –5 dB to –7 dB by cascading another DOPA. For the squeezing at low frequency band, the cascaded system proves to be useless, and the efforts should be made to reduce the technique noise in the low frequency band. Furthermore, the quantum limit and spectral characteristics of the squeezed light field output from the cascaded system are further explored. This study can provide reference and guidance for the improvement in the squeezing degree of the band of atomic transitions.