Quantum Processes and Measurement
Theory and Experiment

A self-contained presentation of the theory of quantum processes, quantum evolution and the experimental methods for quantum measurement.

Claude Fabre (Author), Rodrigo G. Cortiñas (Contributions by)

9781108477772, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 August 2023

314 pages
26.2 x 18.5 x 2.2 cm, 0.77 kg

'[The book begins] with recent experiments that involve the detection of single quantum entities, photons, particles, and energy levels of an atom. Subsequent chapters alternate between theory (especially as required to understand recent experiments - entanglement and all) and those experiments. The experiments end with SQUIDs and the theory with quantum non-demolition. The last 100 pages include 11 appendices, from qubits to quantum mechanics of electrical circuits … Each chapter and each appendix ends with exercises, some requiring serious derivations; others inviting the reader to attempt an order-of-magnitude estimate of some quantity she had probably never thought of before.' Virginia Trimble, The Observatory

This accessible and self-contained text presents the essential theoretical techniques developed to describe quantum processes, alongside a detailed review of the devices and experimental methods required in quantum measurement. Ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students seeking to extend their knowledge of the physics underlying quantum technologies, the book develops a thorough understanding of quantum measurement theory, quantum processes and the evolution of quantum states. A wide range of basic quantum systems are discussed, including atoms, ions, photons, and more complex macroscopic quantum devices such as opto-mechanical systems and superconducting circuits. Quantum phenomena are also covered in detail, from entanglement and quantum jumps, to quantum fluctuations in optical systems. Numerous problems at the end of each chapter problems enable the reader to consolidate key theoretical concepts and to develop their understanding of the most widely-used experimental techniques.

Introduction
1. Experiment: detecting single quantum objects
2. Description of quantum systems in terms of density matrix
3. Experiment: quantum processes
4. Evolution
5. Measurement
6. Experiment: bipartite systems
7. Entanglement
8. Experiment: continuous quantum fluctuations
9. Continuous variable systems
10. Experiment: parameter estimation
11. Theory: parameter estimation
Appendix A. Basic postulates of quantum mechanics
Appendix B. Generalized postulates of quantum mechanics
Appendix C. Description of composite systems
Appendix D. Qubits
Appendix E. Quantum particle
Appendix F. Quantum electromagnetic field
Appendix G. Interaction between light and atoms
Appendix H. Interaction between light beams and linear optical media
Appendix I. Interaction between light beams and nonlinear optical media
Appendix J. Optomechanics
Appendix K. Basics of circuit quantum electrodynamics
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Quantum physics [quantum mechanics & quantum field theory PHQ]