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We have analyzed the evolution of quantum operators in a three-wave mixing process by using the nonlinear polarization driven wave equations and linearization of the quantum operators. We have theoretically shown that a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier can generate amplitude-squeezed light when operated in the backconversion regime. Furthermore, a nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator, where only the signal wave is resonant, is proved to generate amplitude-squeezed light when the pump intensity is above the value at which 100% photon conversion efficiency is achieved. The calculated limit for amplitude-squeezing in this case is 3 d B.

This paper investigates the generation of quadrature-squeezed states of light using a degenerate optical parametric amplifier (DOPA) that is pumped by a focused Gaussian beam. The formulation that is presented facilitates the calculation of squeezing for an arbitrary local oscillator beam. This formulation also establishes a formal equivalence between the classical parametric gain and the measured level of squeezing. The maximum squeezing that can be achieved using a Gaussian-beam local oscillator is determined to be limited to 13.4 dB, as a consequence of gain-induced diffraction. The phase lag of the maximally squeezed quadrature is shown to be significantly different from the plane-wave theoretic value of π/2, unless the focusing is very weak. The use of a second DOPA for generating a local oscillator beam that is matched to the squeezed field is also investigated. In this case, squeezing is limited only by the available pump power.

A Gaussian-wave theory is developed for the classical and quantum analysis of the z-scan method that is often used to measure third-order nonlinearities. The theory allows us to compute the transmittance in the z scan and the associated regimes of amplitude squeezing. The classical limits of our theory are in perfect agreement with the previous theoretical results. We show that amplitude squeezing of 1.2dB can be obtained using the z scan with a careful selection of the signal power and the aperture size.

We present a quantum theory of nondegenerate phase-sensitive parametric amplification in a χ(3) nonlinear medium. The nonzero response time of the Kerr (χ(3)) nonlinearity determines the quantum-limited noise figure of χ(3) parametric amplification, as well as the limit on quadrature squeezing. This nonzero response time of the nonlinearity requires coupling of the parametric process to a molecular vibration phonon bath, causing the addition of excess noise through spontaneous Raman scattering. We present analytical expressions for the quantum-limited noise figure of frequency nondegenerate and frequency degenerate χ(3) parametric amplifiers operated as phase-sensitive amplifiers. We also present results for frequency nondegenerate quadrature squeezing. We show that our nondegenerate squeezing theory agrees with the degenerate squeezing theory of Boivin and Shapiro as degeneracy is approached. We have also included the effect of linear loss on the phase-sensitive process.

We investigate the generation of amplitude-squeezed states with degenerate optical parametric amplifiers that are pumped by focused Gaussian beams. We present a model that facilitates the calculation of the squeezing level for an experimentally realistic cofiguration in which there is a Gaussian input signal beam that has the same confocal parameter and waist location as the Gaussian pump beam, with no restriction on the interaction length-to-confocal parameter ratio. We show that the 3-dB squeezing limit that was thought to be imposed by the Gaussian pump profile can be exceeded in the (previously uninvestigated) tight-focusing regime. We find the maximum possible amplitude squeezing in this regime to be 4.65 dB. However, it is possible to increase the squeezing level further by spatially filtering the tails of the output signal beam, resulting in squeezing levels in excess of 10 dB. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.