Precision measurement beyond the shot-noise limit

Abstract

An improvement in precision beyond the limit set by the vacuum-state or zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field is reported for the measurement of phase modulation in an optical interferometer. The experiment makes use of squeezed light to reduce the level of fluctuations below the shot-noise limit. An increase in the signal-to-noise ratio of 3.0 dB relative to the shot-noise limit is demonstrated, with the improvement currently limited by losses in propagation and detection and not by the degree of available squeezing.