Chip-based squeezing at a telecom wavelength

We demonstrate a squeezing experiment exploiting the association of integrated optics and telecom technology as key features for compact, stable, and practical continuous variable quantum optics. In our setup, squeezed light is generated by single-pass spontaneous parametric down conversion on a lithium niobate photonic circuit and detected by a homodyne detector whose interferometric part is directly integrated on the same platform. The remaining parts of the experiment are implemented using commercial plug-and-play devices based on guided-wave technologies. We measure, for a CW pump power of 40 mW, a squeezing level of -2.00 +/- 0.05 dB (anti-squeezing 2.80 +/- 0.05 dB), thus confirming the validity of our approach and opening the way toward miniaturized and easy-to-handle continuous variable-based quantum systems. (C) 2019 Chinese Laser Press