This volume contains the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute "Quantum Optics and Experimental General Relativity" which was held in Bad Windsheim, Federal Republic of Germany, from August 16 to 29, 1981. At first glance, one might wonder why a meeting should cover these two topics, and a good bit of quantum measurement theory as well, all of which seem to be completely unrelated. The key to what one may call this grand unification lies in the effort, underway in a number of laboratories around the world, to detect gravitational radiation. Present research is pursuing the development of two types of detectors: laser interferometers and resonant bar detectors. Be cause the signals that one is trying to measure are so weak the quan tum mechanical nature of the detectors comes into play. The analy sis of the effects which result from this is facilitated by the use of techniques which have been developed in quantum optics over the years. This analysis also forces one to confront certain issues in the quantum theory of measurement. The laser interferometer detectors, using as they do light, are clearly within the realm of subjects usually considered by quantum optics. For example, the analysis of the noise present in such a de tector can make use of the many techniques which have been developed in quantum optics.

This book develops the theoretical and experimental basis of quantum optics, i.e. the interaction of individual particles of light (photons) with matter, starting from elementary quantum theory. The self-contained exposition will be useful to graduate students in physics, engineering, chemistry, and senior undergraduates in physics.

This book on quantum optics is from the point of view of an experimentalist. It approaches the theory of quantum optics with the language of optical modes of classical wave theory, with which experimentalists are most familiar. This approach makes the transition easy from classical optics to quantum optics. The emphasis on the multimode description of an optical system is more realistic than in most quantum optics textbooks. After the theoretical part, the book goes directly to the two most basic experimental techniques in quantum optics and establishes the connection between the experiments and the theory. The applications include some key quantum optics experiments, and a few more current interests that deal with quantum correlation and entanglement, quantum noise in phase measurement and amplification, and quantum state measurement. Request Inspection Copy Contents: Theoretical Foundations of Quantum Optics:Historical Development of Quantum Optics and A Brief IntroductionMode Theory of Optical Fields and Their QuantizationQuantum States of Single-Mode FieldsQuantum States of Multi-Mode FieldsTheory of Photo-detection and Quantum Theory of CoherenceGeneration and Transformation of Quantum StatesExperimental Techniques in Quantum Optics and Their Applications:Experimental Techniques of Quantum Optics I: Photon Counting TechniqueApplications of Photon Counting Techniques: Multi-Photon Interference and EntanglementExperimental Techniques of Quantum Optics II: Detection of Continuous Photo-CurrentsApplications of Homodyne Detection Technique: Quantum Measurement of Continuous VariablesQuantum Noise in Phase MeasurementAppendices:Derivation of an Explicit Expression for Û of a Lossless Beam SplitterEvaluation of the Two Sums in Eq. (8.100) Readership: Advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers in quantum optics.

This book summarizes recent developments in the research area of quantum gravity phenomenology. A series of short and nontechnical essays lays out the prospects of various experimental possibilities and their current status. Finding observational evidence for the quantization of space-time was long thought impossible. In the last decade however, new experimental design and technological advances have changed the research landscape and opened new perspectives on quantum gravity. Formerly dominated by purely theoretical constructions, quantum gravity now has a lively phenomenology to offer. From high precision measurements using macroscopic quantum oscillators to new analysis methods of the cosmic microwave background, no stone is being left unturned in the experimental search for quantum gravity. This book sheds new light on the connection of astroparticle physics with the quantum gravity problem. Gravitational waves and their detection are covered. It illustrates findings from the interconnection between general relativity, black holes and Planck stars. Finally, the return on investment in quantum-gravitation research is illuminated. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers entering the field.

The formalism of quantum optics is elucidated in the early chapters and the main techniques are introduced. These are applied in the later chapters to problems such as squeezed states of light, resonance fluorescence, laser theory, quantum theory of four-wave mixing, quantum non-demolition measurements, Bell's inequalities, and atom optics. Experimental results are used to illustrate the theory throughout. This yields the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of experiment and theory in quantum optics in any textbook.

The field of quantum optics has witnessed significant theoretical and experimental developments in recent years. This book provides an in-depth and wide-ranging introduction to the subject, emphasising throughout the basic principles and their applications. The book begins by developing the basic tools of quantum optics, and goes on to show the application of these tools in a variety of quantum optical systems, including lasing without inversion, squeezed states and atom optics. The final four chapters are devoted to a discussion of quantum optical tests of the foundations of quantum mechanics, and to particular aspects of measurement theory. Assuming only a background of standard quantum mechanics and electromagnetic theory, and containing many problems and references, this book will be invaluable to graduate students of quantum optics, as well as to researchers in this field.

Recent experimental advances in the control of quantum superconducting circuits, nano-mechanical resonators and photonic crystals has meant that quantum measurement theory is now an indispensable part of the modelling and design of experimental technologies. This book, aimed at graduate students and researchers in physics, gives a thorough introduction to the basic theory of quantum measurement and many of its important modern applications. Measurement and control is explicitly treated in superconducting circuits and optical and opto-mechanical systems, and methods for deriving the Hamiltonians of superconducting circuits are introduced in detail. Further applications covered include feedback control, metrology, open systems and thermal environments, Maxwell's demon, and the quantum-to-classical transition.