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Oxford physicists demonstrate first quadsqueezing quantum interaction

Oxford physicists demonstrate first quadsqueezing quantum interaction

New Capabilities

A fourth-order squeezing technique, generated 100 times faster than predicted, expands the toolkit for quantum computing and sensing

May 1st, 2026: Oxford team demonstrates quadsqueezing for the first time

Overview

Physicists at the University of Oxford have generated a quantum interaction that existed only on paper until now. Using a single trapped ion and two carefully tuned forces, the team produced 'quadsqueezing'—a fourth-order quantum-squeezing effect—more than 100 times faster than conventional methods predicted should be possible.

Quantum squeezing reshapes the uncertainty inherent in quantum systems, trading precision in one property for greater precision in another. Standard squeezing already powers gravitational-wave detectors and emerging quantum sensors. Higher-order versions like quadsqueezing produce richer, more exotic quantum states—exactly the kind of building blocks researchers want for more powerful quantum simulations, sensitive measurements, and error-correcting quantum computers.

Why it matters

If quadsqueezing scales, quantum computers gain a faster route to richer operations and stronger error correction, shortening the timeline to machines that solve real problems.

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Key Indicators

4th
Squeezing order achieved
First-ever demonstration of fourth-order squeezing, beyond standard (2nd) and trisqueezing (3rd).
100x
Faster than predicted
The interaction was generated more than 100 times faster than conventional theoretical approaches expected.
1
Trapped ion used
The entire effect was produced on a single trapped ion driven by two tuned forces.
2021
Year theory was proposed
The technique realizes a theoretical proposal first put forward five years before the demonstration.

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Organizations Involved

University of Oxford
University of Oxford
Research University
Source of the demonstration; published the result in Nature Physics

Home to the research team that produced the first experimental demonstration of quadsqueezing.
Nature Physics
Nature Physics
Peer-Reviewed Journal
Publication venue for the quadsqueezing result

Monthly journal that publishes high-impact research across all areas of physics.

Timeline

January 1985 May 2026

4 events Latest: May 1st, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Oxford team demonstrates quadsqueezing for the first time

    Latest Scientific Milestone

    Using a single trapped ion driven by two tuned forces, Oxford physicists produced standard squeezing, trisqueezing, and the first-ever quadsqueezing—at speeds more than 100 times faster than conventional approaches predicted.

  2. Theoretical proposal for higher-order squeezing in trapped ions

    Theory

    Theorists proposed a method for generating higher-order squeezing interactions, including trisqueezing and quadsqueezing, using carefully tuned forces on a single trapped ion.

  3. LIGO integrates squeezed light for gravitational-wave detection

    Applied Physics

    The LIGO observatories began using squeezed light to suppress quantum noise, increasing the rate of gravitational-wave detections.

  4. First experimental demonstration of squeezed light

    Scientific Milestone

    Researchers at Bell Labs produced the first squeezed states of light, validating a decade of theoretical work on reducing quantum noise below standard limits.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1985

First demonstration of squeezed light (1985)

A team led by Richart Slusher at Bell Labs produced the first experimentally verified squeezed states of light, using four-wave mixing in sodium atoms. The result confirmed predictions made in the late 1970s and early 1980s that quantum noise could be redistributed below the standard quantum limit in one variable at the expense of another.

Then

Squeezed light became an active research field, with multiple groups producing increasingly clean squeezed states across different platforms.

Now

The technique matured into a standard tool of quantum optics and underpins modern quantum sensing, communication, and metrology.

Why this matters now

Quadsqueezing extends the same fundamental idea—reshaping quantum uncertainty—to a fourth-order interaction. The 1985 result is the grandparent of every higher-order squeezing experiment that followed.

April 2019

LIGO integrates squeezed light (2019)

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory began routinely injecting squeezed vacuum states into its detectors at Hanford and Livingston. The upgrade reduced quantum shot noise and increased the volume of space LIGO could survey for gravitational-wave events by roughly 50%.

Then

Detection rates of black-hole and neutron-star mergers rose immediately after the upgrade.

Now

Squeezed light became standard equipment in gravitational-wave astronomy and validated the engineering case for quantum-noise-reduction techniques in large instruments.

Why this matters now

LIGO is the proof that squeezing is more than a lab demonstration—it can deliver real scientific returns. Quadsqueezing inherits that trajectory: today's exotic quantum interaction, tomorrow's precision instrument.

Recent (early 2020s)

First trisqueezing demonstration

Researchers demonstrated third-order squeezing—trisqueezing—in trapped-ion and superconducting platforms, generating non-Gaussian quantum states that cannot be described by standard squeezing alone. The result opened a path toward continuous-variable quantum computing schemes that need higher-order interactions.

Then

Trisqueezing became a benchmark for non-Gaussian quantum control across competing platforms.

Now

It established the experimental template—drive a single quantum system with carefully tuned forces—that the Oxford group extended to a fourth order.

Why this matters now

Quadsqueezing is the direct successor. The Oxford team's two-force approach builds on the trisqueezing playbook, and the speed-up they reported suggests the method may keep generalizing to higher orders.

Sources

(4)
Nature Physics Phys.org The Quantum Insider ScienceDaily