The basic laws of geometrical optics can be deduced from energy-momentum conservation for electromagnetic waves, without other wave concepts. However, the concept of quanta is required; it arises naturally, hence such a hypothesis could have arisen earlier than it did historically. Measurements to determine the angles of reflection and refraction demand that each incident quantum be either reflected or refracted; such a separation is central to the experimental results.
The basic laws of geometrical optics can be deduced from energy-momentum conservation for electromagnetic waves, without other wave concepts. However, the concept of quanta is required; it arises naturally, hence such a hypothesis could have arisen earlier than it did historically. Measurements to determine the angles of reflection and refraction demand that each incident quantum be either reflected or refracted; such a separation is central to the experimental results.
Finding that in the formula of expansion of a function into a series of wave-like functions the coefficients are its Fourier transforms, if existed, we deduce mathematically all the principles and hypothesis that illustrated physicists utilized to build quantum mechanics a century ago, beginning with the duality particle-wave principle of Planck and including the Schrödinger equations. By the way, we find a simple Fourier transform relation between Dirac momentum and position bras and a useful permutation relation between operators in phase and Hilbert spaces. Moreover, from the found particle-wave duality formula we prove and obtain again essentially by mathematical analysis all the laws of wave optics concerning reflections, refractions, polarizations, diffractions by one or many identical 3D objects with various forms and dimensions.
Basic concepts of quantum optics are introduced in this chapter. In the beginning, we give a review of the basic quantum mechanics. Then, we perform quantization of an electromagnetic field, which naturally introduces the concept of mode and quadrature. After that, we introduce basic quantum states of light and their phase space representation. Quantum operations in the continuous-variable system and their universality are also explained. To obtain the values of the physical quantities, we have to measure our quantum systems. In the optical continuous-variable system, homodyne measurement and photon number measurement are among the most common measurements that are also discussed here. Finally, we introduce the concept of quantum entanglement, which is one of the central concepts in quantum computation.
This chapter introduces quantum optics, focusing on wave-particle duality, superposition, entanglement, and quantum teleportation, while employing algebra, trigonometry, and physical reasoning to make quantum mechanics accessible without calculus. It systematically builds from classical optics to historical experiments revealing quantum behavior, using examples and practice problems designed for technician-level education, and prepares students for further study in quantum information science. The chapter explores fundamental properties of light waves, including coherence, polarization, and reflection, with coherent light exhibiting organized interference patterns and incoherent light lacking phase consistency. Polarization is discussed, distinguishing between unpolarized and polarized light, and polarizers are introduced as tools to filter light based on its polarization state. The law of reflection is explained, detailing how light bounces off surfaces based on the angle of incidence and media properties. The chapter also discusses reflection and refraction at media interfaces, introducing Fresnel equations for calculating reflectance for perpendicular and parallel polarized light, simplifying these for normal incidence, and presenting an example calculation for an air–glass interface.
Introduction It is believed that the basic physical building blocks forming the world we live in may be categorized into particles of matter and carriers of force between matter. All known elementary constituents of matter and transmitters of force are quantized. For example, energy, momentum, and angular momentum take on discrete quantized values. The electron is an example of an elementary particle of matter, and the photon is an example of a transmitter of force. Neutrons, protons, and atoms are composite particles made up of elementary particles of matter and transmitters of force. These composite particles are also quantized. Because classical mechanics is unable to explain quantization, we must learn quantum mechanics in order to understand the microscopic properties of atoms – which, for example, make up solids such as crystalline semiconductors. Historically, the laws of quantum mechanics have been established by experiment. The most important early experiments involved light. Long before it was realized that light waves are quantized into particles called photons, key experiments on the wave properties of light were performed. For example, it was established that the color of visible light is associated with different wavelengths of light. Table 2.1 shows the range of wavelengths corresponding to different colors. The connection between optical and electrical phenomena was established by Maxwell in 1864. This extended the concept of light to include the complete electromagnetic spectrum. A great deal of effort was, and continues to be, spent gathering information on the behavior of light.
As in classical physics, also in quantum mechanics: physical processes are bound to obey conservation laws. However, there is an important difference. While in classical physics we can suppose that all variables have definite values (irrespective of whether we know them or not), quantum mechanics allows them to be intrinsically uncertain. In those cases conservation laws apply only to ensemble averages (expectation values), and hence are less informative. They show their full strength in measurement processes. Then the measured values satisfy the respective conservation laws in any individual experiment. Let me remind you of spin measurements on a system of two spin-½ particles, being in a state with zero total spin, which we used in Section 5.5 to illustrate the EPR paradox. The spin components, with respect to an arbitrarily chosen direction, of the two particles are indefinite; however, measuring them yields definite values (+½ or −½) that add up to zero, thus confirming the angular conservation law. In the following, we will consider some realistic experiments for which conservation laws provide a simple explanation. Energy and momentum conservation For an understanding of the interaction between matter and radiation, Einstein's photon concept (actually, he spoke of ‘light quanta’) proved to be very helpful. He assumed photons to be particle-like constituents of electromagnetic radiation, in particular light. They have the energy h ν, where ν is the frequency of the radiation field. (Since the electromagnetic spectrum extends over an extremely wide range, there is a huge number of different sorts of photons.) The crucial point is that photons are generated or annihilated only as a whole. This property gives rise to typical quantum effects.
The laws of reflection and refraction are typically derived using a dispersion relation that assumes that the angular frequency stays the same across a vacuum--dielectric interface and that the angular wave number increases. At the single photon level, this means that the total energy of the photon is conserved but the linear momentum is not. Here I derive the laws of reflection and refraction for a single photon using a dispersion relation that is consistent with the conservation of both total energy and linear momentum. To ensure that both conservation laws are upheld, the optical path length must be considered to be more fundamental than the geometrical path length when reckoning optical distances. As long as the medium is transparent, the optical path length traveled by a photon in a given duration of time is constant. By contrast, the geometrical path length traveled in a given duration of time is inversely proportional to the index of refraction. A photon propagating across a vacuum--dielectric interface is considered to be an indivisible package whose total energy (and angular frequency) and linear momentum (and angular wave number) remain constant, but whose velocity decreases with refractive index as a result of unspecified electromagnetic interactions.