Multimode theory of pulsed-twin-beam generation using a high-gain fiber-optical parametric amplifier

We theoretically investigate the quantum-noise properties of a pulse-pumped high-gain-fiber optical parametric amplifiers (FOPAs) by using the Bogoliubov transformation in multiple frequency modes to describe the evolution of the nondegenerate signal and idler twin beams. The results show that the noise figure of the FOPA is generally greater than the 3 dB quantum limit unless the joint spectral function is factorable and the spectrum of the input signal well matches the gain spectrum in the signal band. However, the intensity-difference noise of the twin beams, which weakly depends on the joint spectral function, can be significantly less than the shot-noise limit when the temporal modes of the pump and the input signal are properly matched. Moreover, to closely resemble real experimental conditions, the quantum noise of twin beams generated from a broadband FOPA is numerically studied by taking the various kinds of experimental imperfections into account. Our study is not only useful for developing a compact fiber source of twin beams, but also helpful for understanding the quantum-noise limit of a pulse-pumped FOPA in the fiber communication system. © 2013 American Physical Society.