This course gives an introduction to quantum optics. We pay special attention to the concept of the "photon" illustrating some of its subtleties via analysis of several important experiments.

I. Blackbody radiation
II. Quantization of the Electromagnetic field: Rayleigh, Planck and Einstein
III. States of a single mode field: number, coherent, squeezed, thermal
IV. Atom field interaction, derivation of Einstein coefficients, interaction with a monomode quantum field
V. Spontaneous emission: in free space and in a cavity
VI. Theory of single photon detection, action of a beamsplitter
VII. More photon detection, multimode and multiphoton
VIII. Incoherent fields: the Hanbury Brown Twiss experiment
IX. Nonlinear quantum optics: single photons and photon pairs
X. Interferometry, noise and entanglement

Last Modification : Monday 16 September 2019