Abstract
The quantum and classical dynamics of the nonlinear oscillator are contrasted by comparing the evolution of the quantum Q function with that of a similar classical probability distribution. The quantum nonlinear rotator is shown to generate a superposition of two distinct coherent states from a coherent-state input. Measurements of the angular-momentum components and the signature of a superposition state are discussed. The effects of a continual measurement of one angular-momentum component are introduced into the model, and its effects on quantum coherences are shown to degrade the quantum coherence effects. We present a quantum optical model that obeys the nonlinear rotator dynamics and can generate superpositions of SU(2) coherent states of the two-mode electromagnetic field.
- Received 17 April 1989
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.40.2417
©1989 American Physical Society