QC 351 A7 no. 45 v2 / The major areas of quantum electronics are concerned with the generation of electromagnetic fields- -with the theory and operation of stimulated emission devices, stimulated and nonlinear scattering phenomena, etc. A smaller but vital area involves the measurement problem, and explores the ways in which we can determine various properties of optical fields through measurements of intensities, interference, correlations, statistical distributions of photoelectrons, etc. In these lectures we will investigate various techniques for exploring the properties of optical fields.
Until some 15 years ago all known optical phenomena could be described by the simple classical theory of elementary optics. In the mid 1950's, two new experiments were reported --the Hanbury- Brown Twiss intensity interferometry experiment, and the light beating experiment of Forrester and coworkers. These experiments generated considerable confusion since many people found in them an apparent violation of well -established physical principles.
Subsequently, optics has undergone a revolutionary development with the invention of lasers and the introduction of fast pulse electronics capable of resolving individual photon detection events on a nanosecond time scale or less. The new field of photon statistics has grown rapidly and has already produced a sizable literature.
Concurrently with the experimental developments, there has been a rather complete restructuring of the theory of optics which has produced a framework in which all of the newer experiments can be analyzed. A theoretical development has followed two independent paths. A classical theory of optical coherence has been developed, mainly by E. Wolf, based on the earlier work of Gabor and others. More recently, R. J. Glauber has formulated a quantum mechanical theory of optical coherence. Unfortunately, much effort has been expended in trying to prove both the equivalence and the nonequivalence of the two formulations, an undertaking which has produced considerably more heat than light.
In these lectures we will attempt to review both the classical and quantum mechanical theories of optical coherence, and will use the results to analyze a variety of experiments. The emphasis throughout will be on gaining physical insight rather than on maintaining mathematical rigor. For those interested in detailed discussions of the theory, references to the literature are included in these notes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/621639 |
| Date | 10 1900 |
| Creators | Mandelbaum, Jewel B., Jacobs, Stephen F. |
| Publisher | Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona) |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Technical Report |
| Rights | Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents |
| Relation | Optical Sciences Technical Report 45 v2 |
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