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arXiv:2403.09868

The Quantum Gaussian-Schell Model: A Link Between Classical and Quantum Optics

Riley B. Dawkins, Mingyuan Hong, Chenglong You, Omar S. Magaña‐Loaiza

Published Mar 14, 2024• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The quantum theory of the electromagnetic field uncovered that classical forms of light were indeed produced by distinct superpositions of nonclassical multiphoton wavepackets. Specifically, partially coherent light represents the most common kind of classical light. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the extraction of the constituent multiphoton quantum systems of a partially coherent light field. We shift from the realm of classical optics to the domain of quantum optics via a quantum representation of partially coherent light using its complex-Gaussian statistical properties. Our formulation of the quantum Gaussian-Schell model unveils the possibility of performing photon-number-resolving detection to isolate the constituent quantum multiphoton wavepackets of a classical light field. We experimentally verified the coherence properties of isolated vacuum systems and wavepackets with up to sixteen photons. Our findings not only demonstrate the possibility of observing quantum properties of classical macroscopic objects, but also establish a fundamental bridge between the classical and quantum worlds.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2403.09868

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The quantum theory of the electromagnetic field uncovered that classical forms of light were indeed produced by distinct superpositions of nonclassical multiphoton wavepackets. Specifically, partially coherent light represents the most common kind of classical light. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the extraction of the constituent multiphoton quantum systems of a partially coherent light field. We shift from the realm of classical optics to the domain of quantum optics via a quantum representation of partially coherent light using its complex-Gaussian statistical properties. Our formulation of the quantum Gaussian-Schell model unveils the possibility of performing photon-number-resolving detection to isolate the constituent quantum multiphoton wavepackets of a classical light field. We experimentally verified the coherence properties of isolated vacuum systems and wavepackets with up to sixteen photons. Our findings not only demonstrate the possibility of observing quantum properties of classical macroscopic objects, but also establish a fundamental bridge between the classical and quantum worlds.
The quantum theory of the electromagnetic field uncovered that classical forms of light were indeed produced by distinct superpositions of nonclassical multiphoton wave packets. This situation prevails for partially coherent light, the most common kind of classical light. Here, for the first time, to our knowledge, we demonstrate the extraction of the constituent multiphoton quantum systems of a partially coherent light field. We shift from the realm of classical optics to the domain of quantum optics via a quantum representation of partially coherent light using its complex-Gaussian statistical properties. Our formulation of the quantum Gaussian-Schell model (GSM) unveils the possibility of performing photon-number-resolving (PNR) detection to isolate the constituent quantum multiphoton wave packets of a classical light field. We experimentally verified the coherence properties of isolated vacuum systems and wave packets with up to 16 photons. Our findings not only demonstrate the possibility of observing quantum properties of classical macroscopic objects but also establish a fundamental bridge between the classical and quantum worlds.
The modification of the quantum properties of coherence of photons through their interaction with matter lies at the heart of the quantum theory of light. Indeed, the absorption and emission of photons by atoms can lead to different kinds of light with characteristic quantum statistical properties. As such, different types of light are typically associated with distinct sources. Here, we report on the observation of the modification of quantum coherence of multiphoton systems in free space. This surprising effect is produced by the scattering of thermal multiphoton wavepackets upon propagation. The modification of the excitation mode of a photonic system and its associated quantum fluctuations result in the formation of different light fields with distinct quantum coherence properties. Remarkably, we show that these processes of scattering can lead to multiphoton systems with subshot-noise quantum properties. Our observations are validated through the nonclassical formulation of the emblematic van Cittert–Zernike theorem. We believe that the possibility of producing quantum systems with modified properties of coherence, through linear propagation, can have dramatic implications for diverse quantum technologies.
In semiclassical theory, light is a classical electromagnetic wave and the fundamental source of photodetection noise is the shot effect arising from the discreteness of the electron charge. In quantum theory, light is a quantum-mechanical entity and the fundamental source of photodetection noise comes from measuring the photon-flux operator. The Glauber coherent states are Gaussian quantum states which represent classical electromagnetic radiation. Quantum photodetection of these states yields statistics that are indistinguishable from the corresponding Poisson point-process results of semiclassical photodetection. Optical parametric interactions, however, can be used to produce other Gaussian quantum states, states whose photodetection behavior cannot be characterized semiclassically. A unified analytical framework is presented for Gaussian-state photodetection that includes the full panoply of nonclassical effects that have been produced via parametric interactions.
Introduction In our discussion of the classical electromagnetic field we found it convenient to describe the field by a complex amplitude, both in the frequency and in the time domains. The complex representation is convenient partly because it contains information about the magnitude and about the phase of the electromagnetic disturbance, and partly because of its analytic properties. These features turn out to be particularly useful for the description of the optical coherence properties of the field. We shall see that an analogous quantum state of the field exists, leading to an interesting representation that is also particularly useful for the treatment of optical coherence. This coherent-state representation leads to a close correspondence between the quantum and classical correlation functions. The coherent states of the field come as close as possible to being classical states of definite complex amplitude. We shall find that coherent states turn out to be particularly appropriate for the description of the electromagnetic fields generated by coherent sources, like lasers and parametric oscillators; indeed it turns out that the field produced by any deterministic current source is in a coherent state. In the following sections we shall examine some of the properties of coherent states, and then go on to discuss representations based on these states. Coherent states were first discovered in connection with the quantum harmonic oscillator by Schrödinger (1926), who referred to them as states of minimum uncertainty product.