Quantum Fluctuations and Nonlinear Optical Patterns

Hermann Haken

Daniel F. Walls, Gerard J Milburn

Min Xiao

Luigi A. Lugiato, Stephen Mark Barnett, A. Gatti +3 more

A. Gatti, L. A. Lugiato, Irene Marzoli +3 more

The recent investigations on quantum effects in nonlinear optical patterns and spatial aspect of squeezing have focused on the concept of quantum image [1,2,3]. These are very noisy images images, dominated by quantum fluctuations and can be revealed either 1) by high frequency observation, which is able to reveal the fast dynamics of fluctuations, or 2) by low frequency observation, by measuring the spatial correlation function. This displays a regular modulation, which anticipates the stripe pattern that appear above threshold [4], while the intensity distribution is uniform on average.

L. A. Lugiato, Stephen Mark Barnett, Massimo Brambilla +7 more

We introduce the field of transverse nonlinear optics, and discuss some perspectives for applications, namely the use of spatial solitons for parallel information processing, femtojoule switching and logic gates in vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. We illustrate the quantum aspects of nonlinear optical patterns, focusing on quantum images and critical fluctuations in the degenerate optical parametric oscillator below threshold.