Product Description
Most previous texts on quantum optics have been written primarily for the graduate student market at PhD level and above. Quantum optics: an introduction aims to introduce a wide range of topics at a lower level suitable for advanced undergraduate and masters level students in physics. The text is divided into four main parts, covering modern topics in both pure and applied quantum optics: I Introduction and background material. II. Photons. III. Atom-photon interactions. IV. Quantum information processing. The emphasis of the subject development is on intuitive physical understanding rather than mathematical arguments, although many derivations are included where appropriate. The text includes numerous illustrations, with a particular emphasis on the experimental observations of quantum optical phenomena. Each chapter includes worked examples, together with 10-15 exercises with solutions. Six appendices are included to supplement the main subject material.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 4 reviews)

An excellent undergraduate introduction

Fox does a great job explaining a complex and dense field from an intuitive and experimental standpoint. I read this book after one term of 1-D introductory Q.M. and everything made sense. The experiments and set-ups described throughout the book are a great tool and were particularly handy since I was using the book to get ready for a summer internship in a Quantum Optics group. The only downside is that the book is quite lacking from a theoretical standpoint. If you are a bit more comfortable with Q.M., say at the level of Shankar, Liboff, or Sakuri, try Knight instead. Nonetheless, this is a great book.
July 10, 2008

Good book

This is our textbook and is easy to understand. It also has answers for the exercise questions. That helps a lot.
February 11, 2008

A proper introducton

At last we have a text that provides a comprehensive introduction to quantum optics for the beginner - both theory and experiment - and one which takes you through many of the most recent concepts and potential applications in computation, cryptography and teleportation etc.

A feature of this text is the clear explanations and carefully explained jargon - it's NOT just mostly a collection of math like some other supposedly introductory texts.

If you want to find out what quantum optics is all about - this is a great book to start with.
January 19, 2008

Excellent Introduction to Quantum Optics

I developed an interest in quantum optics in my last year of undergraduate school but I became discouraged with it since every book that I picked up on the subject was esoteric and too involved for an introduction. It seemed as if NONE of the quantum optics textbooks available were appropriate as an introduction. But then I found this book.

Although not as mathematically intensive as I was hoping for it to be, it explains the physics very well. And although it doesn't compensate for many years of post-graduate study, I was able to better understand research papers in quantum optics due to this book.

The book follows a rather traditional approach to developing quantum optics...first starting off with a discussion of important results in electromagnetism, classical optics, and quantum mechanics...then progressing to the theory of photons (discussing photon statistics, coherent states, and second quantization (with regard to photon number states)). Furthermore, it discusses the essential "backbone" of quantum optics (light-matter interactions) and then applications of quantum optics (quantum computing, quantum entanglement, etc.).

I broke the rules and skipped ahead to the applications section and I must say that everything seems to make sense because of Fox's ability to convey difficult ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand manner.

For anybody just starting to take an interest in quantum optics (like I was at one point), I would strongly suggest this book. It's not as mathematically sophisticated as Loudon's "The Quantum Theory of Light" (which is another must-have for quantum optics), but it's an excellent introduction.
May 10, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Exploring the Quantum: Atoms, Cavities, and Photons (Oxford Graduate Texts)
by Serge Haroche, Jean-Michel Raimond

Introductory Quantum Optics
by Christopher Gerry, Peter Knight

Atomic Physics (Oxford Master Series in Atomic, Optical and Laser Physics)
by Christopher J. Foot

Fundamentals of Quantum Optics
by John R. Klauder, E. C. G. Sudarshan

Atom—Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications
by Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Jacques Dupont-Roc, Gilbert Grynberg