AbstractsAstronomy & Space Science

Noise suppression across multiple spatial modes of a light field would serve to improve the field's imaging capabilities and allow it to act as a more effective carrier of quantum information. This thesis describes a scheme that utilises a nonlinear process (four wave mixing (4WM)) in Rubidium 85 in order to generate a single beam of light that demonstrates sub quantum noise limit (QNL) quadrature fluctuations of up to -4dB across a multitude of spatial modes simultaneously. Included is a description of sub-QNL (squeezed) light, followed by a breakdown of how this 4WM arrangement generates the desired quantum noise suppression. Analysis has been performed that displays explicitly how the phase matching arrangement that maximises the noise suppression differs from that which optimises the efficiency of the process. This consideration is crucial to understanding why the setup achieves the levels of squeezing observed despite the presence of a strong absorption feature. Finally, the multi-spatial-mode nature of the generated squeezing is observed directly via homodyne detection using local oscillators with a range of transverse profiles. These profiles select the mode of the signal to be analysed and as such the ability to detect squeezing using a range of them demonstrates its presence across all of these modes simultaneously.