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Journal of the Optical Society of America

Optics and the Theory of Stochastic Processes

Norbert Wiener

Published Apr 1, 1953• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The study of the wave phenomena of physical optics and of quantum mechanics must take into account the fact that experimental instruments operate linearly on the field quantities, while all measured values depend only on their mean squares. The latter circumstance necessitates a statistical approach to these theories. Certain questions must be re-examined in the light of this fact. We analyze the most important of these, namely that of the limitations causality (the directedness of time in physical phenomena) imposes on the nature of the transformations an optical instrument can perform on the light admitted to it.

DOI
10.1364/josa.43.000225

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The study of the wave phenomena of physical optics and of quantum mechanics must take into account the fact that experimental instruments operate linearly on the field quantities, while all measured values depend only on their mean squares. The latter circumstance necessitates a statistical approach to these theories. Certain questions must be re-examined in the light of this fact. We analyze the most important of these, namely that of the limitations causality (the directedness of time in physical phenomena) imposes on the nature of the transformations an optical instrument can perform on the light admitted to it.
The mathematics of quantum theory is based on operators rather than numbers. In optics this simple fact allows statistical quantities, such as the fluctuations in the electric field of a light beam, to be smaller than is allowed by classical physics. Experiments that measure these quantities can generally be divided into two types, depending on whether they measure the wave or the particle properties of light. This is in line with the "complementarity principle" of quantum mechanics, which states that the wave and particle aspects of a system cannot be observed at the same time.
A short exposition is given of the foundation of the causal description in classical physics and the failure of the principle of causality in coping with atomic phenomena. It is emphasized that the individuality of the quantum processes excludes a separation between a behaviour of the atomic objects and their interaction with the measuring instruments denning the conditions under which the phenomena appear. This circumstance forces us to recognize a novel relationship, conveniently termed complementarity, between empirical evidence obtained under different experimental conditions. An appropriate tool for a complementary mode of description is provided by the quantum-mechanical formalism which allows us to account for regularities of definite or statistical character beyond the grasp of classical physical explanation. – N. B.
Quantum mechanical uncertainty After reviewing the main characteristics of the classical description of light, let us discuss those aspects of the quantization of the electromagnetic field which are of relevance for the analysis of the phenomena we are interested in. It seems a reasonable place to start to make clear the fundamental difference between the classical and the quantum mechanical description of nature; we will come across this difference many times when discussing experiments, and it will often give us a headache. We have to deal with the physical meaning of what is called uncertainty. The starting point of the classical description is the conviction that natural processes have a “factual” character. This means that physical variables such as the position or momentum of a particle have, in each single case, a well defined (in general, time dependent) value. However, it will not always be possible to measure all the appropriate variables (for instance, the instantaneous electric field strength of a radiation field); furthermore under normal circumstances we are able to measure only with a finite precision. Hence the basic credo of classical physics should be given in the following form: we are justified in imagining a world with variables possessing well defined values which are not known precisely (or not known at all). In doing this we are not forming any conclusions that contradict our everyday experiences. This is the fundamental concept of classical statistics: we are satisfied with the use of probability distributions for the variables we are interested in, not from fundamental but purely practical reasons.
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On the level of quantum phenomena, there is no precise possibility of separating an examined physical system from a measuring instrument. This fact lends support to the assertion that the evolution of a quantum system ceases to be rigorously causal from the moment when the system is subjected to investigation. A quantum measurement is special in that it always causes a jump in the system under study to an eigenstate of the considered variable. Possible interactions between the measuring and measured objects will be neglected, so that a given quantum system, which is free from any disturbances, e.g. measurements or other perturbations, will evolve in a rigorously predictable manner. Globally speaking, a quantum-mechanical scheme of description of physical phenomena can be summarized by introducing the so-called Schrödinger picture. A physical field is obtained when a given physical feature is attributed to each point of a space in which the process under study is developing.
The book embraces a wide spectrum of problems falling under the concepts of "Quantum optics" and "Laser experiments". These actively developing branches of physics are of great significance both for theoretical understanding of the quantum nature of optical phenomena and for practical applications. The book includes theoretical contributions devoted to such problems as providing a general approach to describe electromagnetic field states with correlation functions of different nature, nonclassical properties of some superpositions of field states in time-varying media, photon localization, mathematical apparatus that is necessary for field state reconstruction on the basis of restricted set of observables, and quantum electrodynamics processes in strong fields provided by pulsed laser beams. Experimental contributions are presented in chapters about some quantum optics processes in photonic crystals - media with spatially modulated dielectric properties - and chapters dealing with the formation of cloud of cold atoms in magneto optical trap. All chapters provide the necessary basic knowledge of the phenomena under discussion and well-explained mathematical calculations.