Quantum soliton generation using an interferometer

For the first time a method for realizing macroscopic quantum optical solitons is presented. Simultaneous photon-number and momentum squeezing is predicted using soliton propagation in an interferometer. Extraction of soliton pulses closer to true quantum solitons than their coherent counterparts from mode-locked lasers is possible. Moreover, it is a general method of reducing photon-number fluctuations below the shot-noise level for nonsoliton pulses as well. It is anticipated that similar reductions in particle fluctuations could occur for other forms of interfering bosonic fields whenever self-interaction nonlinearities exist, for example, interacting ultracold atoms. [S0031-9007(98)07605-4].