  The next upgrade of the GEO600 gravitational wave detector is scheduled for
2010 and will, in particular, involve the implementation of squeezed light. The
required non-classical light source is assembled on a 1.5m^2 breadboard and
includes a full coherent control system and a diagnostic balanced homodyne
detector. Here, we present the first experimental characterization of this
setup as well as a detailed description of its optical layout. A squeezed
quantum noise of up to 9dB below the shot-noise level was observed in the
detection band between 10Hz and 10kHz. We also present an analysis of the
optical loss in our experiment and provide an estimation of the possible
non-classical sensitivity improvement of the future squeezed light enhanced
GEO600 detector.
