Chapter 27 Further Reading

Primary Textbook References

Griffiths & Schroeter, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed., 2018)

  • Section 9.2 — Electromagnetic waves: classical treatment of the radiation field. Useful as a review of the classical starting point before quantization.
  • Section 9.3 — Spontaneous emission: the Einstein A coefficient derived using time-dependent perturbation theory and the quantized field. This is one of the few places Griffiths ventures into field quantization, and the treatment is characteristically clear.

Sakurai & Napolitano, Modern Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed., 2021)

  • Section 7.6 — The quantization of the radiation field. Sakurai develops the field quantization with his typical elegance, emphasizing the operator structure and the analogy with the harmonic oscillator. His treatment of the vacuum and its fluctuations is particularly insightful.
  • Section 7.7 — Emission and absorption of photons. Connection to spontaneous emission and the Lamb shift.

Shankar, Principles of Quantum Mechanics (2nd ed., 1994)

  • Chapter 18 — Time-dependent perturbation theory and the interaction of light with matter. Shankar works through the quantized radiation field in the dipole approximation, deriving selection rules and transition rates.
  • Section 21.2 — Path integral approach to photons (briefly). A different perspective on the same physics.

Dedicated Quantum Optics Textbooks

Gerry & Knight, Introductory Quantum Optics (2005)

  • The most accessible textbook-level introduction to quantum optics. Covers everything in this chapter — Fock states, coherent states, squeezed states, beam splitters, HOM effect, and photon statistics — at a level appropriate for advanced undergraduates. Chapter 3 (coherent states), Chapter 5 (beam splitter), and Chapter 6 (HOM and photon bunching) are particularly relevant. This is the recommended first book for students wanting to go deeper.

Fox, Quantum Optics: An Introduction (2006)

  • Another excellent undergraduate-level introduction, with a stronger emphasis on experimental techniques. Particularly good on photon counting, correlation measurements, and single-photon sources. Chapter 6 (photon antibunching) and Chapter 8 (quantum information with photons) connect directly to Sections 27.8 and 27.9.

Scully & Zubairy, Quantum Optics (1997)

  • The standard graduate-level reference. Comprehensive and rigorous. Chapter 1 develops field quantization from first principles. Chapter 2 covers coherent and squeezed states in full mathematical detail, including the Glauber-Sudarshan P-representation and the Wigner function. Chapters 4–6 cover the laser, photon statistics, and quantum coherence. Not for the faint of heart, but definitive.

Walls & Milburn, Quantum Optics (2nd ed., 2008)

  • A graduate text with a strong focus on nonclassical light and quantum information applications. Particularly strong on squeezed states (Chapter 5), the beam splitter (Chapter 6), and quantum cryptography/teleportation (Chapter 15). The treatment of input-output theory for optical cavities is the clearest in any textbook.

Mandel & Wolf, Optical Coherence and Quantum Optics (1995)

  • The encyclopedic reference. At 1100+ pages, it covers essentially everything known about optical coherence theory up to 1995. Chapter 12 (photon statistics), Chapter 14 (nonclassical light), and Chapter 22 (two-photon interference) are the definitive treatments. Use as a reference, not a first read.

Going Deeper

Coherent States

  • Glauber, R. J. (1963). "The Quantum Theory of Optical Coherence." Physical Review, 130(6), 2529. The original paper introducing coherent states. Remarkably readable for a foundational paper. Available on the APS website. Nobel Prize lecture (2005) is also highly recommended — accessible and beautifully written.
  • Sudarshan, E. C. G. (1963). "Equivalence of Semiclassical and Quantum Mechanical Descriptions of Statistical Light Beams." Physical Review Letters, 10(7), 277. The P-representation, discovered independently of Glauber. A one-page letter that changed quantum optics.

Hong-Ou-Mandel Effect

  • Hong, C. K., Ou, Z. Y., & Mandel, L. (1987). "Measurement of Subpicosecond Time Intervals between Two Photons by Interference." Physical Review Letters, 59(18), 2044. The original 4-page paper. Clear, elegant, and experimentally meticulous. Every physics student should read this.
  • Bouchard, F. et al. (2020). "Two-Photon Interference: The Hong-Ou-Mandel Effect." Reports on Progress in Physics, 84, 012402. A comprehensive review covering 30+ years of HOM physics, from fundamentals to applications. Excellent starting point for a literature survey.

Squeezed States and LIGO

  • Caves, C. M. (1981). "Quantum-mechanical noise in an interferometer." Physical Review D, 23(8), 1693. The paper that showed squeezed light could improve interferometer sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit. Visionary work, decades ahead of its time.
  • Tse, M. et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration) (2019). "Quantum-Enhanced Advanced LIGO Detectors in the Era of Gravitational-Wave Astronomy." Physical Review Letters, 123(23), 231107. The experimental demonstration of squeezing in LIGO, improving the binary neutron star detection range by ~15%.
  • Ganapathy, D. et al. (2023). "Broadband Quantum Enhancement of the LIGO Detectors with Frequency-Dependent Squeezing." Physical Review X, 13, 041021. Frequency-dependent squeezing in LIGO O4 — broadband quantum noise reduction.

Photon Antibunching

  • Kimble, H. J., Dagenais, M., & Mandel, L. (1977). "Photon Antibunching in Resonance Fluorescence." Physical Review Letters, 39(11), 691. The first observation of antibunched light. A landmark experiment proving the necessity of field quantization.
  • Hanbury Brown, R., & Twiss, R. Q. (1956). "A Test of a New Type of Stellar Interferometer on Sirius." Nature, 178, 1046. The original intensity correlation experiment with starlight. A beautiful example of how fundamental quantum physics was discovered using astronomical observations.

Photonic Quantum Computing

  • Knill, E., Laflamme, R., & Milburn, G. J. (2001). "A scheme for efficient quantum computation with linear optics." Nature, 409, 46. The KLM paper proving that linear optics plus single-photon detection suffices for universal quantum computation. Changed the field overnight.
  • Aaronson, S., & Arkhipov, A. (2011). "The Computational Complexity of Linear Optics." Theory of Computing, 9(4), 143. The theoretical foundation for boson sampling as a demonstration of quantum computational advantage.
  • Madsen, L. S. et al. (2022). "Quantum computational advantage with a programmable photonic processor." Nature, 606, 75. Xanadu's Borealis experiment demonstrating quantum advantage with Gaussian boson sampling using 216 squeezed modes.
  • Bartolucci, S. et al. (2023). "Fusion-based quantum computation." Nature Communications, 14, 912. PsiQuantum's architecture for fault-tolerant photonic quantum computing using fusion measurements.

Historical and Philosophical

The Photon Concept

  • Lamb, W. E. Jr. (1995). "Anti-photon." Applied Physics B, 60, 77. A provocative essay by the Nobel laureate arguing that the word "photon" is misleading and that photon detection events should not be confused with photon particles. Challenging and thought-provoking.
  • Kidd, R., Ardini, J., & Anton, A. (1989). "Evolution of the modern photon." American Journal of Physics, 57(1), 27. A historical survey of how the photon concept evolved from Einstein's light quantum (1905) through the modern quantum field theory picture. Excellent for historical context.

Quantum Optics in Context

  • Loudon, R. (2000). The Quantum Theory of Light (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. A classic graduate-level text, slightly more condensed than Mandel & Wolf but covering much of the same ground with great clarity. Chapter 4 (quantization of the radiation field) and Chapter 6 (nonclassical light) are outstanding.
  • Garrison, J. C., & Chiao, R. Y. (2008). Quantum Optics. Oxford University Press. A modern text with an unusual emphasis on conceptual foundations and interpretation. Good for students who want to understand the "meaning" of quantum optics, not just the calculations.

Online Resources

  • MIT OCW 8.422: Atomic and Optical Physics II — Wolfgang Ketterle's graduate course. Lecture notes and problem sets covering quantum optics at a rigorous level. Freely available.
  • Caltech Ph 125: Quantum Optics — Jeff Kimble's course (archived). One of the world's leading experimentalists teaching the subject. Notes are occasionally available through Caltech's course archive.
  • QuTiP Quantum Optics Tutorials — The QuTiP documentation includes several tutorials on coherent states, beam splitters, and the HOM effect using Python. Directly relevant to this chapter's code examples.