Abstract

The quantum-theoretical description of the action of a spectral filter is given. It is shown that spectral filtering of light is unavoidably connected with quantum noise, which prevents the spectrometer from performing a Fourier analysis even under ideal conditions. The quantum noise is important in the study of spectral properties of nonclassical light fields, such as spectral squeezing in single-atom resonance fluorescence.

© 1986 Optical Society of America

Quantum theory of multiwave mixing. VI. Effects of quantum noise on modulation spectroscopy

David A. Holm and Murray Sargent
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(5) 732-740 (1986)

Quantum features of a free-electron laser

M. Orszag and R. Ramirez
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(6) 895-900 (1986)

Mixed-state SU(2) squeezing and its occurrence in two quantum optical models

P. K. Aravind
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(12) 1712-1717 (1986)

Coherence properties of squeezed light and the degree of squeezing

Z. Y. Ou, C. K. Hong, and L. Mandel
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4(10) 1574-1587 (1987)

Quantum and semiclassical steady states of a kicked cavity mode

P. Filipowicz, J. Javanainen, and P. Meystre
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(6) 906-910 (1986)