TY - JOUR
T1 - The classical limit of quantum optics
T2 - Not what it seems at first sight
AU - Aharonov, Yakir
AU - Botero, Alonso
AU - Nussinov, Shmuel
AU - Popescu, Sandu
AU - Tollaksen, Jeff
AU - Vaidman, Lev
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - What light is and how to describe it has always been a central subject in physics. As our understanding has increased, so have our theories changed: geometrical optics, wave optics and quantum optics are increasingly sophisticated descriptions, each referring to a larger class of phenomena than its predecessor. But how exactly are these theories related? How and when wave optics reduces to geometric optics is a rather simple problem. Similarly, how quantum optics reduces to wave optics has also been considered to be a very simple business. It is not so. As we show here the classical limit of quantum optics is a far more complicated issue; it is in fact dramatically more involved and it requires a complete revision of all our intuitions. The revised intuitions can then serve as a guide to finding novel quantum effects.
AB - What light is and how to describe it has always been a central subject in physics. As our understanding has increased, so have our theories changed: geometrical optics, wave optics and quantum optics are increasingly sophisticated descriptions, each referring to a larger class of phenomena than its predecessor. But how exactly are these theories related? How and when wave optics reduces to geometric optics is a rather simple problem. Similarly, how quantum optics reduces to wave optics has also been considered to be a very simple business. It is not so. As we show here the classical limit of quantum optics is a far more complicated issue; it is in fact dramatically more involved and it requires a complete revision of all our intuitions. The revised intuitions can then serve as a guide to finding novel quantum effects.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885163717&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1367-2630/15/9/093006
DO - 10.1088/1367-2630/15/9/093006
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AN - SCOPUS:84885163717
SN - 1367-2630
VL - 15
JO - New Journal of Physics
JF - New Journal of Physics
M1 - 093006
ER -