Authors:

Jose Gutierrez

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Ultrafast nonlinear optical processes offer a powerful platform to probe quantum properties of light on femtosecond and attosecond timescales, under strong field interactions. While classical observables in nonlinear spectroscopy are well studied, a key challenge remains in directly characterizing quantum field observables under strong-field interactions. Quantum states of light, such as squeezed states, are vital for applications like gravitational wave detection at LIGO and the development of quantum information technologies. This project investigates the generation and control of quantum-squeezed states of light in a MgO crystal using femtosecond laser pulses. Specifically, we aim to reconstruct the Wigner Distribution Function (WDF), which characterizes the quantum state of the generated field, using balanced homodyne detection. The experiment employs a 50-femtosecond laser centered at 808nm with a 1kHz repetition rate, interacting with a nonlinear optical crystal. Delay times are varied in 200-attosecond steps to modulate the nonlinear response. Homodyne detection is used to measure quantum field observables called quadratures, from which the WDF is reconstructed; revealing squeezing characteristics of the light field. Preliminary results show distinguishable squeezing features in WDFs generated from both raw and filtered homodyne data. Filtering based on the modulated nonlinear response enhances visibility of squeezed regions in phase space. Additionally, quadrature uncertainties from 2D Gaussian fits indicate a tunable squeezing effect, with maximal squeezing observed at specific time delays. These trends are consistent across both spectrometer-based and balanced photodiode detection methods, demonstrating controlled generation of femtosecond squeezed light via attosecond-scale field modulation. Keywords: Ultrafast; Squeezed Light; Femtosecond; Attosecond

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Jose Gutierrez