Quantum Noise in Conventional Optical Heterodyne Devices

By invoking the quantum theory of optical coherence, we theoretically show that the quantum noise in conventional optical heterodyne devices, which were previously identified as usual phase-insensitive amplifiers with additional quantum noise, is similar to that in optical homodyne devices, as verified by experimental data. Albeit more study is demanded to understand this result, it is certain that neither the uncertainty principle nor Caves’s theorem for quantum noise of linear amplifiers sets a limit to the quantum noise of heterodyne devices.