In a pioneering leap for quantum physics, researchers at the University of Arizona—in collaboration with international partners—have successfully captured and controlled quantum uncertainty in real time using ultrafast light pulses. Their breakthrough, published in Light: Science & Applications, marks a major step toward ultrafast quantum optics and next-generation secure communications.

At the heart of the discovery lies a phenomenon known as “squeezed light.” In quantum mechanics, light is defined by two inseparable properties—akin to a particle’s position and intensity—that cannot be precisely measured simultaneously, a relationship governed by Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle.

As Professor Mohammed Hassan, associate professor of physics and optical sciences and the paper’s corresponding author, explains:

“Ordinary light is like a round balloon, with uncertainty evenly distributed. Squeezed light is an oval balloon—one property becomes quieter and more precise, while the other grows noisier.”

This controlled “squeeze” has already been used to enhance the sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors, allowing scientists to detect subtle ripples in spacetime. However, earlier systems relied on relatively slow laser pulses lasting milliseconds. Hassan’s team achieved something unprecedented: generating squeezed light using femtosecond pulses, each lasting just one quadrillionth of a second.

Using a method called four-wave mixing, the researchers split a laser into three beams and focused them into fused silica, producing ultrafast squeezed light. By carefully adjusting the angle of the silica, they could toggle between intensity-squeezing and phase-squeezing, effectively controlling quantum uncertainty in real time.

“This is the first-ever demonstration of ultrafast squeezed light and the first real-time control of quantum uncertainty,” Hassan said. “By merging ultrafast lasers with quantum optics, we’ve opened the door to a new discipline—ultrafast quantum optics.”

Real-World Applications

The implications of this technology are vast:

• Quantum Communication: Ultrafast squeezed light can create highly secure data channels. Any attempt to intercept information disturbs the quantum state, immediately exposing intrusions.

• Quantum Sensing & Imaging: Enables ultrafast, high-resolution measurements for applications in chemistry, biology, and environmental monitoring.

• Drug Discovery & Diagnostics: Could revolutionize molecular analysis by allowing scientists to observe ultrafast biological reactions.

Hassan’s team—featuring Mohamed Sennary (first author and optics graduate student), Mohammed ElKabbash (assistant professor of optical science), and collaborators from the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies—believes this fusion of speed and precision will transform quantum technologies in the coming decade.

Credits:

• Author: Logan Burtch-Buus (University of Arizona)

• Editors: Gaby Clark, Robert Egan

• Image Credit: University of Arizona

• Adapted by: DatalytIQs Academy