Quantum Trajectories I: Background and Interpretation

Abstract

We have discussed many things in the last eight chapters, but there have been just two overriding themes. Both arise from a consideration of the phasespace methods which account so effectively for the quantum fluctuations of laser light (Chap. 8). First, there is the issue of nonclassical fluctuations (Chaps. 9, 10) which led us to an investigation of the positive P representation (Chaps. 11 and 12). The second, interrelated theme, concerns the scaling of fluctuations with system size. After introducing the topic by way of the positive P representation (Chap. 12), we were led to a study of cavity QED (Chaps. 13– 16) which provides an experimentally accessible realization of the limit of small system size (large quantum noise).