Foundations of Quantum Optics

Undergraduate / Graduate

Quantum optics seeks to illuminate the fundamental quantum mechanics of the interaction of light and matter. These principles can form the basis for quantum technologies in areas such as cryptography, computation, and metrology. This course provides a foundation in the fundamental principles and applications of quantum optics. Topics to be discussed may include Fermi's Golden Rule, interaction of two-level atoms and light, spontaneous emission, Rabi oscillations, classical and non-classical photon statistics, beam splitters, atom cavity interaction, vacuum-Rabi splitting, coherence, entanglement, and teleportation. The course will assume that students are comfortable with single-particle quantum mechanics at the level of a typical introductory graduate-level course.