Prof Horace Yuen from Northwestern University reviews on quantum optics and in particular, how the laser field is described. Their possible applications in scientific experiments and technological applications are also explained.
A review of quantum optics will be presented: what issues it addresses, what results have been obtained, how they bear on the foundational and fundamental issues in quantum physics. The speaker would explain what is "quantum" in quantum optics, in particular how the laser field is described in quantum optics and whether it can be described purely classically in photon correlation experiments. The concept of "coherence" will be clarified and some common misconceptions dispelled. The so called "nonclassical" lights will be presented including "squeezed lights", single-photon optical fields, and entangled beams. Their possible applications in scientific experiments and technological applications would be sketched, including quantum computation and quantum cryptography. It is shown that the design of high performance precision measurement systems should be viewed as a quantum communication process with optimization over both the choice of quantum state and quantum measurement. The potentials and limits of quantum optics in high-tech applications would be delineated.
About the speaker
Horace Yuen received his PhD in electrical engineering from MIT in 1970. He has taught at Northwestern University since 1980 and is currently Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and also Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University. He is a recipient of the 2008 Quantum Electronics Award of the IEEE Photonics Society for his pioneering theoretical contributions to the generation, detection, and application of squeezed lights, and the 1996 International Quantum Communications Award of Japan for his fundamental contributions to quantum communication theory. Prof Yuen is a Senior Member of IEEE and Fellow of the American Physical Society.
