This book is an introduction to the two closely related subjects of quantum optics and quantum information. Essentially, the physical aspects of quantum information processing have now become an integral part of quantum optics. The book gives a simple, self-contained introduction to both subjects, while illustrating the physical principles of quantum information processing using quantum optical systems. It thus has an interdisciplinary character. For the benefit of a wider audience and to make the subject matter of the book accessible to those with backgrounds other than physics, the authors also include a brief review of quantum mechanics. Although much of the material used here can also be found in other books, discussed at various depths, the particular combination of the topics covered in this book is unique. Furthermore, some aspects of quantum information, for example those pertaining to recent experiments on cavity QED and quantum dots, are described here for the first time in book form.
Peter Lambropoulos · David Petrosyan Fundamentals of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Peter Lambropoulos David Petrosyan Fundamentals of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information With 95 Figures 123 Prof. Dr. Peter Lambropoulos Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH) IESL and University of Crete P.O. Box 1527 711 10 Heraklion, Crete Greece e-mail:
[email protected] Dr. David Petrosyan Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH) IESL P.O. Box 1527 711 10 Heraklion, Crete Greece e-mail:
[email protected] Library of Congress Control Number: 2006932725 ISBN-10 3-540-34571-X Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York ISBN-13 978-3-540-34571-8 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer is a part of Springer Science+Business Media springer.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007 The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Typesetting: Camera ready by authors Production: LE-TEX Jelonek, Schmidt & Vöckler GbR, Leipzig Cover Design: WMXDesign GmbH, Heidelberg Printed on acid-free paper 57/3100/YL 543210 To Olympia P. L. To Anna and Mika D. P. Preface Another book on Quantum Optics? or Quantum Information? Well, not exactly. A more descriptive title might be: “A guided tour through basic quantum mechanics, quantum optics and quantum information”. Even better, a few words on its origin and our motivation for undertaking the task might be useful to the potential reader in deciding whether to turn the pages beyond this preface. For more than ten years now, a graduate course on quantum optics has been taught in the physics department of the University of Crete. Spanning two semesters, it originally consisted of a collection of topics representative of what can be