We demonstrate, for the first time, the realization of an entirely guided-wave squeezing experiment at a telecom wavelength. The state generation relies on waveguide non-linear optics technology while squeezing collection and transmission are implemented by using only telecom fibre components. We observe up to −1.83 ± 0.05 dB of squeezing emitted at 1542 nm in CW pumping regime. The compactness and stability of the experiment, compared to free-space configurations, represent a significant step towards achieving out-of-the-lab CV quantum communication, fully compatible with existing telecom fibre networks. We believe that this work stands as a promising approach for real applications as well as for "do-it-yourself" experiments.
PACS numbers:Generation and manipulation of continuous variable (CV) non-classical states of light are the object of intense research due to their importance in both fundamental and applied physics [1,2]. Among others, a valuable feature of CV quantum resources is that they can be generated in a deterministic way at the output of non-linear optical media [3]. Moreover, CV entanglement is affected but never vanishes completely for any level of external loss [4]. On these bases, CV quantum optics has experienced an increasing interest for its application to quantum key distribution (QKD) [5], with many proposals based on both single-mode [6-8] and two-mode squeezed light [9,10]. Entanglement distillation and entanglement swapping schemes for long distance quantum communication have been demonstrated [5,11] and systematic studies have been performed on the robustness of non-classicality against the communication channel losses [12,13]. A further step towards real-world applications of CV quantum communication has been done by generating squeezed light in the telecom C-band of wavelengths, where low-loss optical fibres and high performance standard components are available [14][15][16]. In the perspective of implementing quantum networks that exploit optical fibres to connect distant atomic quantum memories, a quantum interface has recently been developed, converting squeezed light from telecom to visible wavelengths compatible with suitable atomic transitions [17]. In the same spirit, a light-matter interface, coupling light guided in a tapered nanofibre to cold atoms, has been demonstrated [18].In this framework, and in order to comply with further out-of-the-lab realizations of CV quantum optics, we demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of a full guided-wave approach for both the generation and measurement of squeezed light at a telecom wavelength. In our scheme, single-mode squeezing at 1542 nm is generated by spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) in a periodically poled lithium niobate ridge-waveguide (PPLN/RW). At the output of the PPLN/RW, the non-classical beam is measured with a fibre homodyne detector. This configuration allows implementing an extremely easy setup, entirely based on commercially available components, and fully compatible with existing fibre network...