Exploring the Quantum Atoms, Cavities, and Photons

by Haroche, Serge; Raimond, Jean-Michel

• ISBN13: 9780198509141
• ISBN10: 0198509146
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The counter-intuitive aspects of quantum physics have been for long illustrated by thought experiments, from Einstein's photon box to Schrodinger's cat. These experiments have now become real, with single particles--electrons, atoms or photons--directly unveiling the weird features of the quantum. State superpositions, entanglement and complementarity define a novel quantum logic which can be harnessed for information processing, raising great hopes for applications. This book describes a class of such thought experiments made real. Juggling with atoms and photons confined in cavities, ions or cold atoms in traps, is here an incentive to shed a new light on the basic concepts of quantum physics. Measurement processes and decoherence at the quantum-classical boundary are highlighted. This volume, which combines theory and experiments, will be of interest to students in quantum physics, teachers seeking illustrations for their lectures and new problem sets, researchers in quantum optics and quantum information.

Author Biography

Serge Haroche
Professor, College de France
Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel,
department de physique de l'Ecole normale superieure,
24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris
Professor at College de France (Chaire de Physique Quantique) since 2001
Member of the French Academy of Sciences since 1993
Professor at Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (1975-2000) and at Ecole Normale Superieure (1984-2000).
Maitre de Conference at Ecole Polytechnique (1975-1984)
Professor (part time) at Yale University (1984-1993)
Senior Member of Institut Universitaire de France (1991-2000)
Fellow of the Americal Physical Society (1990)
Prix Ricard of French Physical Society (1983)
Michelson Medal of Franklin Insitute (1993)
Quantum Electronics Prize of the European Physical Society (2002)
Jean-Michel Raimond
Professor, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie et Institut Universitaire de France
Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel,
department de physique de l'Ecole normale superieure,
24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris
Professor at Universite Pierre et Marie Curie since 1988
Junior member of Institut Universitaire de France, 1994-1999
Senior member of Institut Universitaire de France, Quantum Optics chair, 2001-
Ampere Prize of the French Academy of Sciences with M. Brune, 1998
Charge de recherches CNRS 1983-1988
Attache de recherches CNRS 1979-1983

Table of Contents

Unveiling the quantum	1	(24)
One century of quantum physics	4	(6)
Emergence of the microscopic world	10	(4)
Thought experiments coming of age	14	(6)
Aims and outline of this book	20	(5)
Strangeness and power of the quantum	25	(76)
The superposition principle and the wave function	26	(8)
Quantum interference and complementarity	34	(8)
Identical particles	42	(10)
Entanglement and non-locality	52	(16)
The quantum-classical boundary	68	(15)
Taming the quantum to process information	83	(18)
Of spins and springs	101	(62)
The field oscillator	106	(20)
Coupled field modes	126	(17)
The spin system	143	(8)
Coupling a spin and a spring: the Jaynes-Cummings model	151	(12)
The environment is watching	163	(68)
Quantum description of open systems	165	(8)
Quantum maps: the Kraus sum representation	173	(5)
The Lindblad master equation	178	(11)
Quantum Monte Carlo trajectories	189	(14)
Damped spin-spring system: from Rabi to Purcell	203	(5)
Kicking a spring with spins: the micromaser	208	(12)
Collective coupling of N spins to a spring: superradiance	220	(11)
Photons in a box	231	(66)
A short history of cavity QED	232	(19)
Giant atom in a cavity: an ideal cavity QED situation	251	(21)
Two experiments unveiling the quantum in a cavity	272	(6)
An atom-photon entangling machine	278	(19)
Seeing light in subtle ways	297	(58)
Complementarity at quantum-classical boundary	299	(14)
Non-destructive photon number measurement	313	(13)
A quantum gate for multi-particle entanglement engineering	326	(8)
The quantum analogue/digital converter	334	(14)
Photon number parity and Wigner function measurements	348	(7)
Taming Schrodinger's cat	355	(88)
Representations of photonic cats	358	(6)
A thought experiment to generate optical cats	364	(5)
Dispersive cats in cavity QED	369	(16)
Resonant cats in cavity QED	385	(20)
Decoherence of cavity cats	405	(25)
Non-local cats	430	(13)
Atoms in a box	443	(74)
Ion trap physics	446	(25)
Engineering ionic states of motion	471	(7)
Ion relaxation and engineered environments	478	(11)
Quantum logic with trapped ions: individual qubit addressing	489	(12)
Quantum logic with trapped ions: collective qubit addressing	501	(12)
Perspectives of ion traps for quantum information	513	(4)
Entangling matter waves	517	(48)
Second quantization of matter waves	520	(3)
Main features of Bose--Einstein condensation	523	(3)
The phase in Bose-Einstein condensate interference	526	(8)
Coherent collisions and cat-state generation	534	(12)
Matter waves in periodical lattices	546	(10)
Entangling collisions in a Bose-Einstein condensate	556	(9)
Conclusion	565	(4)
Appendix	569	(18)
Characteristic functions	570	(2)
The Wigner distribution	572	(7)
The Husimi-Q distribution	579	(3)
Phase-space representations of relaxation	582	(5)
Bibliography	587	(16)
Index	603