SQUEEZING WITH CHI((2)) FOR ATOMIC PHYSICS AND SPECTROSCOPY

Parametric downconversion in chi((2)) media has, so far, proved to be the most effective way of generating squeezed light. The development o f frequency-tunable sources of such nonclassical light opens up novel possibilities in atomic physics and spectroscopy. A brief overview of the results in this area of quantum optics is given, and a new experim ent aimed on subshot-noise measurement of atomic orientation is descri bed. We report a preliminary 5 dB quantum noise reduction observed dir ectly around the 917 nm Cs line. We introduce a figure of merit for th e chi((2)) medium utilized for squeezed light generation in an optical parametric oscillator and evaluate some available nonlinear media fro m this perspective.