Physical Review A

Superoperators and their implications in the hybrid model for photodetection

Ching Tsung Lee

Published Jun 1, 1994• 17 citations

Abstract

The external photodetection of cavity radiation is considered as a continuous quantum measurement in the sense of Srinivas and Davies [Opt. Acta 28, 981 (1981)]. It is analyzed in terms of three elementary processes: the no-leak process, the one-leak-undetected process, and the one-leak-detected process. The first two form a no-count process and the last one, a one-count process. Superoperators for these elementary processes are postulated, following the examples of Srinivas and Davies. The superoperators for the one-count process, the no-count process, the m-count process, and the nonreferring process are then derived based on the postulates. The following implications of these superoperators are found: (1) the change of average photon number due to the one-count process is identical to the well-known Q parameter introduced by Mandel [Opt. Lett. 4, 205 (1979)]; (2) the no-count process is governed by a pseudomaster equation; (3) The probability for the m-count process is the Poisson transform of the initial P function of the cavity radiation; and (4) the nonreferring measurement process is governed by a master equation.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.49.4888

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