Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Squeezed vacuum states of light for gravitational wave detectors
Lisa Barsotti1, Jan Harms2,3, Roman Schnabel4
1LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America.
Abstract:
A century after Einstein's formulation of general relativity, the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This historic achievement was the culmination of a world-wide effort and decades of instrument research. While sufficient for this monumental discovery, the current generation of gravitational-wave detectors represent the least sensitive devices necessary for the task; improved detectors will be required to fully exploit this new window on the Universe. In this paper, we review the application of squeezed vacuum states of light to gravitational-wave detectors as a way to reduce quantum noise, which currently limits their performance in much of the detection band.
Related Concept Videos
The Wave Nature of Light
The Squeeze Theorem
Gravitation
Light as Energy
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit...
Gravitational Potential Energy
Newton's Law of Gravitation

