Quantum Optics for Experimentalists

This book on quantum optics is from the point of view of an experimentalist. It approaches the theory of quantum optics with the language of optical modes of classical wave theory, with which experimentalists are most familiar. This approach makes the transition easy from classical optics to quantum optics. The emphasis on the multimode description of an optical system is more realistic than in most quantum optics textbooks. After the theoretical part, the book goes directly to the two most basic experimental techniques in quantum optics and establishes the connection between the experiments and the theory. The applications include some key quantum optics experiments, and a few more current interests that deal with quantum correlation and entanglement, quantum noise in phase measurement and amplification, and quantum state measurement.

Contents:

• Theoretical Foundations of Quantum Optics:

  • Historical Development of Quantum Optics and A Brief Introduction
  • Mode Theory of Optical Fields and Their Quantization
  • Quantum States of Single-Mode Fields
  • Quantum States of Multi-Mode Fields
  • Theory of Photo-detection and Quantum Theory of Coherence
  • Generation and Transformation of Quantum States

• Experimental Techniques in Quantum Optics and Their Applications:

  • Experimental Techniques of Quantum Optics I: Photon Counting Technique
  • Applications of Photon Counting Techniques: Multi-Photon Interference and Entanglement
  • Experimental Techniques of Quantum Optics II: Detection of Continuous Photo-Currents
  • Applications of Homodyne Detection Technique: Quantum Measurement of Continuous Variables
  • Quantum Noise in Phase Measurement

• Appendices:

  • Derivation of an Explicit Expression for Û of a Lossless Beam Splitter
  • Evaluation of the Two Sums in Eq. (8.100)

Readership: Advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers in quantum optics.