Fluctuations of quantum radiation pressure in dissipative fluid

Abstract Using the generalized Langevin equations involving the stress tensor approach, we study the dynamics of a perfectly reflecting mirror which is exposed to the electromagnetic radiation pressure by a laser beam in a fluid at finite temperature. Based on the fluctuation–dissipation theorem, the minimum uncertainty of the mirror's position measurement from both quantum and thermal noises effects including the photon counting error in the laser interferometer is obtained in the small time limit as compared with the “standard quantum limit”. The result of the large time behavior of fluctuations of the mirror's velocity in a dissipative environment can be applied to the laser interferometer of the ground-based gravitational wave detector.