Integrated waveguide sources of squeezed vacuum for gravitational wave detection and quantum metrology

Integrated optics is one of the most promising platforms for quantum technologies. Integrated nonlinear waveguides have been used for the generation of quantum states of light for several applications. Here we discuss a project for the generation of squeezed vacuum in periodically poled waveguides made on a lithium niobate substrate. This non-classical optical state has been used for enhancing high precision measurements in gravitational wave detectors. However, in this application bulk sources of squeezed vacuum states have been employed. Integrated optics can provide a more robust and reliable way for the generation of these states which have great potential not only for interferometric GW detectors, but also for other high-precision optical measurements as well as for quantum computing purposes.