Analysis of amplitude-squeezed light generation with Gaussian-beam degenerate optical parametric amplifiers

Summary form only given. The generation of quantum states of light, such as squeezed states, often relies on degenerate optical parametric amplification. The input signal in a degenerate optical parametric amplifier (DOPA) may be amplified or deamplified depending on the phase of the signal field relative to that of the pump field (/spl Delta//spl phi/=/spl phi//sub pump/-2/spl phi//sub signal/). We present the results of an accurate numerical DOPA model for the generation of amplitude-squeezed light with Gaussian pump and signal beams. We find that the widely accepted 3-dB limit imposed by the Gaussian beam profiles can actually be exceeded in the tight focusing regime.