A Compact Source for Quantum Image Processing with Four-wave Mixing in Rubidium-85

We have built a compact light source for bright squeezed twin-beams at 795nm based on four-wave-mixing in atomic Rb-85 vapor. With a total optical power of 400mW derived from a free running diode laser and a tapered amplifier to pump the four-wave-mixing process, we achieve 2.1 dB intensity difference squeezing of the twin beams below the standard quantum limit, without accounting for losses. Squeezed twin beams generated by the type of source presented here could be used as reference for the precise calibration of photodetectors. Transferring the quantum correlations from the light to atoms in order to generate correlated atom beams is another interesting prospect. In this work we investigate the dispersion that is generated by the employed four-wave-mixing process with respect to bandwidth and dependence on probe detuning. We are currently using this squeezed light source to test the transfer of spatial information and quantum correlations through media of anomalous dispersion.