Quantum and Nonlinear Photonics

Advanced senior-level/MS/PhD course covering interaction of laser light with matter in both classical and quantum domains. First half introduces microscopic origin of optical nonlinearities through formal derivation of nonlinear susceptibilities, emphasis on second- and third-order optical processes. Topics include Maxwell's wave equation, and nonlinear optical processes such as second-harmonic, difference frequency generation, four-wave mixing, and self-phase modulation, including various applications of processes such as frequency conversion, and optical parametric amplifiers and oscillators. Second half describes two-level atomic systems and quantization of electromagnetic field. Descriptions of coherent, Fock, and squeezed states of light discussed and techniques to generate such states outlined.