Producing Squeezed Input States for an Atomic Clock Using an Optical Cavity

Spin squeezing, the generation of collective states of atomic ensembles with reduced spin noise by exploiting non-classical correlations between particles, is a promising approach to overcoming the standard quantum limit set by projection noise of independent atoms. We present two implementations of spin squeezing in ensembles of [superscript 87]Rb confined within an optical resonator, and discuss some of the decoherence mechanisms, both technical and fundamental, that we encounter.Harvard University - MIT Center for Ultracold AtomsDefense Advanced Research Projects AgencyNational Science Foundatio