Suppression of classic and quantum radiation pressure noise by electro-optic feedback

We present theoretical results that demonstrate a new technique that can be used to improve the sensitivity of thermal noise measurements: intracavity intensity stabilization. It is demonstrated that electro-optic feedback can be used to reduce intracavity intensity fluctuations, and the consequent radiation pressure fluctuations, by a factor of 2 below the quantum-noise limit. We show that this reduction is achievable in the presence of large classic intensity fluctuations in the incident laser beam. The benefits of this scheme are a consequence of the sub-Poissonian intensity statistics of the field inside a feedback loop and the quantum nondemolition nature of radiation pressure noise as a readout system for the intracavity intensity fluctuations. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 270.2500, 120.5050, 120.7280