Surpassing the standard quantum limit for optical imaging using non-classical multimode light

We consider estimating a small transverse displacement of an optical beam over a line-of-sight propagation path: a problem that has numerous important applications ranging from establishing a lasercom link, single-molecule tracking, guided munition, to atomic force microscopy. We establish the ultimate quantum limit of the accuracy of sensing a beam displacement, and quantify the classical-quantum gap. Further, using normal-mode decomposition of the Fresnel propagation kernel...

Quantum states of light can improve imaging whenever the image quality and resolution are limited by the quantum noise of the illumination. In the case of a bright illumination, quantum enhancement is obtained for a light field composed of many squeezed transverse modes. A possible realization of such a multi-spatial-mode squeezed state is a field which contains a transverse plane in which the local electric field displays reduced quantum fluctuations at all locations, on any...

The squeezed state of the electromagnetic field can be generated in many nonlinear optical processes and finds a wide range of applications in quantum information processing and quantum metrology. This article reviews the basic properties of single-and dual-mode squeezed light states, methods of their preparation and detection, as well as their quantum technology applications.

Uncertainty principle prohibits the precise measurement of both components of displacement parameters in phase space. We have theoretically shown that this limit can be beaten using single-photon states, in a single-shot and single-mode setting [F. Hanamura et al., Phys. Rev. A 104, 062601 (2021)]. In this paper, we validate this by experimentally beating the classical limit. In optics, this is the first experiment to estimate both parameters of displacement using non-Gaussia...

In this study, we explore the theoretical application of entangled multi-mode squeezed light for label-free optical super-resolution imaging. By generating massively entangled multi-mode squeezed light through an array of balanced beam splitters, using a single-mode squeezed light input, we create a multi-mode quantum light state with exceptional entanglement and noise suppression below the shot noise level. This significantly reduces imaging measurement errors compared to cl...

Multimode squeezed light is an increasingly popular tool in photonic quantum technologies, including sensing, imaging, and computation. Meanwhile, the existing methods of its characterization are technically complicated, and in the best case, deal with a single mode at a time. Here, we demonstrate experimentally how the squeezing can be measured in multiple spatial modes simultaneously, using optical parametric amplification and direct detection followed by modal decompositio...

A light beam is said to be position squeezed if its position can be determined to an accuracy beyond the standard quantum limit. We identify the position and momentum observables for bright optical beams and show that position and momentum entanglement can be generated by interfering two position, or momentum, squeezed beams on a beam splitter. The position and momentum measurements of these beams can be performed using a homodyne detector with local oscillator of an appropri...

An experimental scheme is introduced to measure multiple parameters that are encoded in the phase quadrature of a light beam. Using a modal description and a spectrally-resolved homodyne detection, it is shown that all of the information is collected simultaneously, such that a single measurement allows extracting the value of multiple parameters \emph{post-facto}. With a femtosecond laser source, we apply this scheme to a measurement of the delay between two pulses with a sh...

We derive the quantum noise limit for the optical beam displacement of a TEM00 mode. Using a multimodal analysis, we show that the conventional split detection scheme for measuring beam displacement is non-optimal with 80% efficiency. We propose a new displacement measurement scheme that is optimal for small beam displacement. This scheme utilises a homodyne detection setup that has a TEM10 mode local oscillator. We show that although the quantum noise limit to displacement m...

We numerically investigate the role of quantum fluctuations in superresolution of optical objects. First, we confirm that when quantum fluctuations are not taken into account, one can easily improve the resolution by one order of magnitude beyond the diffraction limit. Then we investigate the standard quantum limit of superresolution which is achieved for illumination of an object by a light wave in a coherent state. We demonstrate that this limit can be beyond the diffractio...