Spatial multimode structure of atom-generated squeezed light

We investigated the spatial distribution of quantum fluctuations in a squeezed vacuum field, generated via polarization self-rotation (PSR) interaction of an ensemble of Rb atoms and a strong near-resonant linearly polarized laser field. We found that the noise suppression is greatly effected by the transverse profile of a spatial mask, placed in both the squeezed field and the local oscillator, as well as its position along the focused beam near the focal point. These observations indicate the spatial multimode structure of the squeezed vacuum field. We have developed a theoretical model that describes the generation of higher-order Laguerre-Gauss modes as a result of PSR light-atom interaction. The prediction of this model is in a good qualitative agreement with the experimental measurements