Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

10:17
20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier
Published on: July 12, 2017
Propagation effects in high harmonic generation media driven by bright squeezed vacuum light
Javier Rivera-Dean1,2, Deeksha Kanti3, Philipp Stammer4,5
1ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain. physics.jriveradean@proton.me.
Nature Communications
|July 9, 2026
Summary
Bright squeezed vacuum (BSV) femtosecond pulses can be used in nonlinear optics. This study quantifies BSV propagation effects in nonlinear media, identifying conditions to preserve quantumness and enhance harmonic generation.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Nonlinear optics
- Strong-field physics
Background:
- Recent advances enable bright squeezed vacuum (BSV) femtosecond pulses for nonlinear optics.
- Current theories often neglect light propagation effects in media.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate BSV pulse propagation in nonlinear media.
- Analyze effects on nonlinear signals and quantum properties.
- Develop a theoretical framework for quantized propagation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a fully quantized theoretical framework.
- Modeled propagation in gas media with high-harmonic generation.
- Analyzed decoherence, photon loss, and harmonic emission.
Main Results:
- Ionization and photon losses cause decoherence, limiting propagation and degrading quantumness.
- Identified conditions to minimize decoherence while preserving harmonics.
- Observed super-Poissonian photon statistics in emitted harmonics.
Conclusions:
- Propagation-induced decoherence can be managed in BSV nonlinear optics.
- Established a quantized framework for BSV in nonlinear and ultrafast science.
- BSV pulses offer potential for advanced quantum optics applications.
Related Concept Videos
Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves
Electromagnetic waves are consistent with Ampere's law. Assuming there is no conduction current Ampere's law is given as:
Propagation of Waves
When a wave propagates from one medium to another, part of it may get reflected in the first medium, and part of it may get transmitted to the second medium. In such a case, the interface of the two mediums can be considered as a boundary that is neither fixed nor free.
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Standing Waves in a Cavity
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:

