Picosecond Pulsed Squeezing in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate Strip-Loaded Waveguides at Telecommunication Wavelengths

Daniel Peace, Alexander Zappacosta, Robert Cernansky, Ben Haylock, Andreas Boes, Arnan Mitchell, Mirko Lobino

Abstract

Achieving high level of pulsed squeezing, in a platform which offers integration and stability, is a key requirement for continuous-variable quantum information processing. Typically highly squeezed states are achieved with narrow band optical cavities and bulk crystals, limiting scalability. Using single-pass parametric down conversion in an integrated optical device, we demonstrate quadrature squeezing of picosecond pulses in a thin-film lithium niobate strip-loaded waveguide. For on-chip peak powers of less than 0.3 W, we measure up to -0.33±0.07 dB of squeezing with an inferred on-chip value of -1.7±0.4 dB. This work highlights the potential of the strip-loaded waveguide platform for broadband squeezing applications and the development of photonic quantum technologies.