Interfering two rays of light with orthogonal polarizations on a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) can indeed be used to generate a polarization-squeezed beam. Here's a step-by-step explanation of the process:
Initial State: Start with two light beams that have orthogonal linear polarizations. Let's call them "horizontal" (H) and "vertical" (V) for simplicity. These two beams can be prepared using polarizers or other means.
Polarizing Beam Splitter: Send both beams into a polarizing beam splitter (PBS). A PBS is an optical device that transmits one polarization (in this case, let's say H-polarized light) and reflects the orthogonal polarization (V-polarized light).
Superposition: After passing through the PBS, the transmitted H-polarized beam will continue unaffected, while the reflected V-polarized beam will change its direction by 90 degrees.
Beam Combination: Recombine the transmitted H-polarized beam and the reflected V-polarized beam using a beamsplitter or another suitable optical element. This creates an interference between the two beams.
Polarization-Squeezed Beam: The interference between the H- and V-polarized beams results in the generation of a polarization-squeezed beam. This means that the polarization properties of the resulting beam exhibit reduced quantum noise in one polarization direction and increased noise in the orthogonal direction.
The exact details of the interference process can depend on the specific experimental setup and the desired level of squeezing. In practice, the generation of polarization-squeezed beams often involves more advanced techniques, such as utilizing nonlinear optical processes or quantum states of light. However, the basic principle of interfering orthogonal polarizations on a polarizing beam splitter remains the same.