Fundamental limits to the generation of highly displaced bright squeezed light using linear optics and parametric amplifiers

Abstract: High quality squeezed light is an important resource for a variety of applications. Multiple methods for generating squeezed light are known, having been demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. However, the effectiveness of these methods -- in particular, the inherent limitations to the signals that can be produced -- has received little consideration. Here we present a comparative theoretical analysis for generating a highly-displaced high-brightness squeezed light from a linear optical method -- a beam-splitter mixing a squeezed vacuum and a strong coherent state -- and parametric amplification methods including an optical parametric oscillator, an optical parametric amplifier, and a dissipative optomechanical squeezer seeded with coherent states. We show that the quality of highly-displaced high-brightness squeeze states that can be generated using these methods is limited on a fundamental level by the physical mechanism utilized; across all methods there are significant tradeoffs between brightness, squeezing, and overall uncertainty. We explore the nature and extent of these tradeoffs specific to each mechanism and identify the optimal operation modes for each, and provide an argument for why this type of tradeoff is unavoidable for parametric amplifier type squeezers.