image: "Satellites" in the spectrum of a vibrating nanostring (lower image insert) for increasing drive power. The different brightnesses of the upper (green) and lower (blue) satellite encode the strength of the squeezing (upper image insert).
"Squeezing" is used in physics, among other things, to improve the resolution of measuring instruments. It allows disturbing noise to be suppressed in a way that smaller signals can be detected more sensitively.
The research team led by physicist Professor Eva Weig at the University of Konstanz has now been able to show how such a squeezed state can be measured in a much simpler way than with the existing methods. Moreover, the new method allows examining squeezed states in systems where such measurements were not possible before.
The results are published in the current issue of the journal Physical Review X.