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Quantum optics

Atom gives light a subtle squeeze

Nature volume 474, pages 584–585 (2011)Cite this article

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When it comes to measuring physical quantities, the more that quantum uncertainties can be squeezed the better. But when just one atom is involved, demonstrating less squeezing is the real challenge. See Letter p.623

Subtle is the atom, but malicious it is not. This paraphrase of Einstein's famous remark aptly summarizes the work reported by Ourjoumtsev et al.1 on page 623 of this issue. Subtle, because the atom is a quantum object that can, in principle, produce quantum light — the most immediate example being the emission of a single photon. There is a great deal beyond single photons, however: the work of the past 50 years has brought many quantum subtleties to our awareness, thus creating the field of quantum information and the quest for a quantum computer. As for malice, the atom bears none, because, as the authors demonstrate, even its most guarded subtlety, hidden for 30 years, can nevertheless be revealed by the resolute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. H. J. Carmichael is in the Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.,

    H. J. Carmichael

  2. Department of Physics, L. A. Orozco is at the Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.,

    L. A. Orozco

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  1. H. J. Carmichael
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  2. L. A. Orozco
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Correspondence to H. J. Carmichael or L. A. Orozco.

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Carmichael, H., Orozco, L. Atom gives light a subtle squeeze. Nature 474, 584–585 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/474584a

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