Modern Foundations Of Quantum Optics

by Vlatko Vedral

This textbook offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the basic ideas in modern quantum optics, beginning with a review of the whole of optics, and culminating in the quantum description of light. The book emphasizes the phenomenon of interference as the key to understanding the behavior of light, and discusses distinctions between the classical and quantum nature of light. Laser operation is reviewed at great length and many applications are covered, such as laser cooling, Bose condensation and the basics of quantum information and teleportation. Quantum mechanics is introduced in detail using the Dirac notation, which is explained from first principles. In addition, a number of non-standard topics are covered such as the impossibility of a light-based Maxwell's demon, the derivation of the Second Law of thermodynamics from the first-order time-dependent quantum perturbation theory, and the concept of Berry's phase. The book emphasizes the physical basics much more than the formal mathematical side, and is ideal for a first, yet in-depth, introduction to the subject. Five sets of problems with solutions are included to further aid understanding of the subject.

Genres: Physics

236 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2005

About the author

Vlatko Vedral is a Serbian born (and naturalised British Citizen) Physicist and Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and CQT (Centre for Quantum Technologies) at the National University of Singapore and a Fellow of Wolfson College. He is known for his research on the theory of Entanglement and Quantum Information Theory. As of 2010 he has published over 150 research papers in quantum mechanics and quantum information and was awarded the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2007. He has held a Professorship at Leeds, visiting professorships in Vienna and Singapore (NUS) and at Perimeter Institute in Canada. As of 2010, there were over 7,500 citations to Vlatko Vedral's research papers. He is the author of several books, including Decoding Reality.

Reviews

[Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say that the only reason I put one less star on this book is less about the book itself, but rather my sense of "sloppiness" --- the book is too sloppy even for physics book for my own taste, but I think it does -very- well in keeping the enthusiastic tone and unusual way of introducing quantum mechanics in optical settings. Also, a bunch of typos. If I had a choice I would put 4.5.

If I have to pick one of the best features of the book, it is the splitting of light-matter interaction into three stages: (1) classical description of lasers, (2) semi-classical treatment of dipole interaction with electric field kept classical, and (3) fully quantized dipole interaction, even if Vedral took drastic approximations (single-mode and rotating wave approximations) too early in my opinion. This division clarifies at the most basic level how one should understand about light-matter interaction and in what sense we really need to quantize the theory and what we lose when we do not go fully quantum.

It is also reasonably modern treatment of quantum optics before one jumps into advanced texts like that of Scully (1997). I think this book was overall a joy to read even if I didn't get through most of the details and some of which were merely skimmed because I don't really need them at this point.