Spectra of ultrabroadband squeezed pulses and the finite-time Unruh-Davies effect

We study spectral properties of quantum radiation of ultimately short duration. In particular, we introduce a continuous multimode squeezing operator for the description of subcycle pulses of entangled photons generated by a coherent-field driving in a thin nonlinear crystal with second order susceptibility. We find the ultrabroadband spectra of the emitted quantum radiation perturbatively in the strength of the driving field. These spectra can be related to the spectra expected in an Unruh-Davies experiment with a finite time of acceleration. In the time domain, we describe the corresponding behavior of the normally ordered electric field variance.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Subcycle squeezing of light from a time flow perspective

Light as a carrier of information and energy plays a fundamental role in both general relativity and quantum physics, linking these areas that are still not fully compliant with each other. Its quantum nature and spatio-temporal structure are exploited in many intriguing applications ranging from novel spectroscopy methods of complex many-body phenomena to quantum information processing and subwavelength lithography. Recent access to subcycle quantum features of electromagnetic radiation promises a new class of time-dependent quantum states of light. Paralleled with the developments in attosecond science, these advances motivate an urgent need for a theoretical framework that treats arbitrary wave packets of quantum light intrinsically in the time domain. Here, we formulate a consistent time domain theory of the generation and sampling of few-cycle and subcycle pulsed squeezed states, allowing for a relativistic interpretation in terms of induced changes in the local flow of time. Our theory enables the use of such states as a resource for novel ultrafast applications in quantum optics and quantum information.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures (including supplementary information

Determination of the electric field and its Hilbert transform in femtosecond electro-optic sampling

We demonstrate time-domain sampling of mid-infrared electric field transients and their conjugate counterparts exploiting the dynamical Pockels effect. To this end, the complete polarization change of few-femtosecond probe pulses is studied. An intuitive picture based on a phasor representation is established before gaining quantitative understanding in experiment and theory. In the standard version of electro-optic sampling, the electric field is determined by analyzing the change of ellipticity of the probe polarization. Beyond this, we find that a temporal gradient of the input electric field manifests itself in a rotation of the polarization ellipsoid of the probe. The relative contribution of sum- and difference-frequency mixing processes and their spectral distribution over the near-infrared probe bandwidth are identified as key aspects. If one of these processes dominates, detecting ellipticity changes and polarization rotation as a function of time delay results in two waveforms which are Hilbert transforms of each other. Such conditions may be achieved by angle phase matching in birefringent materials or spectral filtering of the probe after the nonlinear interaction. In this case, a static phase introduced by birefringence or reflection at metallic mirrors results in a specific phase shift of both time traces with respect to the input electric field. Contributions from sum- and difference-frequency generation are found to be equivalent when using electro-optic sensors with isotropic refractive index. Polarization rotations in the low- and high-frequency parts of the probe then tend to cancel out. In this limit, spurious additional phase shifts do not change the phase of the detected transients. This fact leads to a robust recovery of the carrier-envelope phase of the input waveform. Clarifying the role of imperfections of superachromatic phase retarders completes our survey on proper determination of the electric field and its conjugate variable.publishe