One of the canonical questions in quantum optics is the nature of the radiative properties of an atom when the normal vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic reservoir are replaced by the asymmetric, reduced fluctuations of a squeezed vacuum. While the basic radiative linewidth-narrowing effect has been known for over a decade [C. W. Gardiner, Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 1917 (1986)], experimental realizations with operationally definable definitive manifestations of the quantum nature of the squeezed reservoir have been largely lacking from subsequent investigations. This paper presents measurements on an experimentally realized atom–squeezed-light system, in which the squeezed-light output of a subthreshold optical parametric oscillator illuminates an atom strongly coupled to a high-finesse optical resonator. Transmission of a weak probe field incident on the atom-cavity system is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Alteration of the transmitted probe spectrum has been observed, as has a transmission modulation that depends on the phase of the squeezed field relative to a saturating coherent field (displaced squeezing). In certain parameter regimes, properties unique to the quantum nature of the squeezed light have been identified in the theoretical treatment, but complications in the experiment prevent their unequivocal measure. It is found that the observed effects of the squeezed light are dramatically reduced relative to the predictions of an idealized theory. This is quantitatively attributed to the effects of atomic beam fluctuations and a simple modeling of the atomic beam as an additional loss mechanism in the theory leads to reasonable agreement with the data.

• Received 12 January 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.58.4056