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Two-photon coherent states of the radiation field

Horace P. Yuen
Phys. Rev. A 13, 2226 – Published 1 June 1976
An article within the collection: The Physical Review Journals Celebrate The International Year of Light and the Physical Review A 50th Anniversary Milestones
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Abstract

The concept of a two-photon coherent state is introduced for applications in quantum optics. It is a simple generalization of the well-known minimum-uncertainty wave packets. The detailed properties of two-photon coherent states are developed and distinguished from ordinary coherent states. These two-photon coherent states are mathematically generated from coherent states through unitary operators associated with quadratic Hamiltonians. Physically they are the radiation states of ideal two-photon lasers operating far above threshold, according to the self-consistent-field approximation. The mean-square quantum noise behavior of these states, which is basically the same as those of minimum-uncertainty states, leads to applications not obtainable from coherent states or one-photon lasers. The essential behavior of two-photon coherent states is unchanged by small losses in the system. The counting rates or distributions these states generate in photocount experiments also reveal their difference from coherent states.

  • Received 26 June 1975

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.13.2226

©1976 American Physical Society

Collections

This article appears in the following collections:

The Physical Review Journals Celebrate The International Year of Light

The editors of the Physical Review journals revisit papers that represent important breakthroughs in the field of optics.

Physical Review A 50th Anniversary Milestones

The collection contains papers that have made important contributions to atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information by announcing significant discoveries or by initiating new areas of research.

Authors & Affiliations

Horace P. Yuen

  • Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

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Issue

Vol. 13, Iss. 6 — June 1976

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