Squeezed-state generation by the normal modes of a coupled system

A new regime for the generation of squeezed states of the electromagnetic field is described for a collection of atoms within a high-finesse cavity. The process responsible for squeezing is a coupling-induced splitting in the normal-mode structure of the atom-field system. A theoretical analysis is presented that predicts large degrees of squeezing for modest operating conditions. An experimental investigation of this regime has produced noise reductions of 30% relative to the vacuum noise level