Pulsars are highly magnetized and rapidly rotating neutron stars. The magnetic field can reach the critical magnetic field from which quantum effects of the vacuum becomes relevant, giving rise to magnetooptic properties of vacuum characterized as an
effective non linear medium. One spectacular consequence of this prediction is a macroscopic friction that leads to an additional contribution in the spindown of pulsars. In this paper, we highlight some observational consequences and in particular derive new constraints on the parameters of the Crab pulsar and J0540-6919.
Exchanging light pulses to perform accurate space-time positioning is a paradigmatic issue of physics. It is ultimately limited by the quantum nature of light, which introduces fluctuations in the optical measurements and leads to the so-called Stand
ard Quantum Limit (SQL). We propose a new scheme combining homodyne detection and mode-locked femtosecond lasers that lead to a new SQL in time transfer, potentially reaching the yoctosecond range (10^-21-10^-24 s). We prove that no other measurement strategy can lead to better sensitivity with shot noise limited light. We then demonstrate that this already very low SQL can be overcome using appropriately multimode squeezed light. Benefitting from the large number of photons used in the experiment and from the optimal choice of both the detection strategy and of the quantum resource, the proposed scheme represents a significant potential improvement in space-time positioning.
