Introduction to quantum optics: from light quanta to quantum teleportation

Harry Paul, Igor Jex0521835631, 9780521835633

The purpose of this book is to provide a physical understanding of photons and their properties and applications. Special emphasis is given in the text to photon pairs produced in spontaneous parametric, down-conversion, which exhibit intrinsically quantum mechanical correlations, known as entanglement, and which extend over manifestly macroscopic distances. Such photon pairs are well suited to the physical realization of Einstein-Rosen-Podolsky type experiments, and also make possible such exciting techniques as quantum cryptography and teleportation.

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Table of contents :
Cover……Page 1
Half-title……Page 3
Title……Page 5
Copyright……Page 6
Dedication……Page 7
Contents……Page 9
Preface……Page 13
1 Introduction……Page 15
2.1 Light waves à la Huygens……Page 17
2.2 Newton’s light particles……Page 19
2.3 Young’s interference experiment……Page 23
2.4 Einstein’s hypothesis of light quanta……Page 26
3.1 The electromagnetic field and its energy……Page 31
3.2 Intensity and interference……Page 33
3.3 Emission of radiation……Page 36
3.4 Spectral decomposition……Page 38
4.1 Quantum mechanical uncertainty……Page 43
4.2 Quantization of electromagnetic energy……Page 47
4.3 Fluctuations of the electromagnetic field……Page 52
4.4 Coherent states of the radiation field……Page 53
5.1 Light absorption……Page 55
5.2 Photoelectric detection of light……Page 57
Mean intensity measurement……Page 60
Measurement of intensity correlations……Page 61
5.3 The photoeffect and the quantum nature of light……Page 62
6.1 Particle properties of radiation……Page 73
6.2 The wave aspect……Page 77
6.3 Paradoxes relating to the emission process……Page 81
6.4 Complementarity……Page 83
6.5 Quantum mechanical description……Page 85
6.6 Quantum beats……Page 91
6.7 Parametric fluorescence……Page 93
6.8 Photons in “pure culture”……Page 96
6.9 Properties of photons……Page 98
7.1 Beamsplitting……Page 101
7.2 Self-interference of photons……Page 105
7.3 Delayed choice experiments……Page 111
7.4 Interference of independent photons……Page 112
7.5 Which way?……Page 122
7.6 Intensity correlations……Page 131
7.7 Photon deformation……Page 137
8.1 Measuring the diameter of stars……Page 141
8.2 Photon bunching……Page 148
8.3 Random photon distribution……Page 155
8.4 Photon antibunching……Page 159
9.1 Quadrature components of light……Page 169
9.2 Generation……Page 171
9.3 Homodyne detection……Page 174
10.1 The quantum phase of light……Page 179
10.2 Realistic phase measurement……Page 180
10.3 State reconstruction from measured data……Page 188
11.1 Polarization entangled photon pairs……Page 191
11.2 The Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox……Page 196
11.3 Hidden variables theories……Page 197
11.4 Experimental results……Page 204
11.5 Faster-than-light information transmission?……Page 207
11.6 The Franson experiment……Page 210
12.1 Fundamentals of cryptography……Page 215
12.2 Eavesdropping and quantum theory……Page 216
13.1 Transmission of a polarization state……Page 221
13.2 Transmission of a single-mode wave function……Page 225
14 Summarizing what we know about the photon……Page 229
15.1 Quantization of a single-mode field……Page 233
15.2 Definition and properties of coherent states……Page 236
15.3 The Weisskopf–Wigner solution for spontaneous emission……Page 240
15.4 Theory of beamsplitting and optical mixing……Page 242
15.5 Quantum theory of interference……Page 246
15.6 Theory of balanced homodyne detection……Page 248
References……Page 249
Index……Page 254