Colloquia

Advanced quantum optical techniques are revolutionizing our
ability to observe and understand the universe. Two well-established
catalogs of quantum optical states — squeezed states and single-photon
states — are critical in this advancement. For squeezed light, I will
discuss how squeezing has significantly enhanced the sensitivity of 4km
gravitational-wave detectors, the largest quantum metrology experiment
in the world. I will also explain the demonstration of quantum
correlations in LIGO detectors, showcasing 40kg human-scale macroscopic
quantum phenomena. For photon interferometry, I will describe how
two-photon states sense Earth's rotation under a non-inertial frame,
followed by how entangled photons in an interferometer sensitive to
1E-16 strain can probe the interface between gravitational fields and
quantum mechanics. This work also extends to potential applications in
dark matter detection. Ultimately, all these achievements pave the way
to create unprecedented quantum optical states, offering a novel
platform not only for precision quantum measurements to address
fundamental questions about our universe, but also for expanding the
Hilbert space of quantum information processing.