QUANTUM NONDEMOLITION MEASUREMENTS USING A FULLY QUANTIZED PARAMETRIC INTERACTION

A quantum nondemolition measurement based on a three-mode interaction mediated by a second-order nonlinear susceptibility is discussed. All three modes are treated quantum mechanically. The signal field is taken as one of the three modes and the probe field is the combined field in the other two modes. If the probe system is initially in a number state, the interaction between the signal and probe is equivalent to that between a harmonic oscillator and an angular momentum system. Photon counting on the probe field realizes a quantum nondemolition measurement of the square of a quadrature phase amplitude of the signal, and thus provides a direct measurement of second-order squeezing.