Phase in classical and nonlinear optics

Pierre Meystre, Murray Sargent

Vlasta Peřinová, A. Lukš, Jan Peřina

Phase in classical and nonlinear optics phase-space description of light field phase in quantum optics phase-dependent measurements.

Pierre Meystre, Murray Sargent

G. S. Agarwal, S. Chaturvedi, K. Tara +1 more

Quantum-mechanical phase distributions are investigated for some nonlinear optical phenomena which, at a classical level, involve only changes in the phase of the electric field. The phenomena investigated include reflection from a phase-conjugate mirror and propagation through an optical fiber. It is found that, while the peaks of the respective phase distributions exhibit the expected classical behavior, the widths of the phase distributions also undergo substantial changes. The relation between the input and the output phase distributions in the two cases mentioned above is investigated analytically as well as numerically. The results are compared with a phase distribution defined via the Wigner function.

Pierre Meystre, Murray Sargent

P. D. Drummond, Mark S. Hillery

Playing a prominent role in communications, quantum science and laser physics, quantum nonlinear optics is an increasingly important field. This book presents a self-contained treatment of field quantization and covers topics such as the canonical formalism for fields, phase-space representations and the encompassing problem of quantization of electrodynamics in linear and nonlinear media. Starting with a summary of classical nonlinear optics, it then explains in detail the calculation techniques for quantum nonlinear optical systems and their applications, quantum and classical noise sources in optical fibers and applications of nonlinear optics to quantum information science. Supplemented by end-of-chapter exercises and detailed examples of calculation techniques in different systems, this book is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in nonlinear optics, condensed matter physics, quantum information and atomic physics. A solid foundation in quantum mechanics and classical electrodynamics is assumed, but no prior knowledge of nonlinear optics is required.