Abstract: In this talk, I shall review the arguments applied by Roy Glauber in the early 1960’s to characterize temporal fluctuations in photo-detection signals. Such fluctuations can be signatures of non-classical properties, and the theory of photo-detection gave rise to the field of quantum optics with visions to control atomic light emitters to prepare and apply a variety of quantum states of light in experiments. In the past decades, bits and pieces of solid-state materials were manufactured with high purity and precision, enabling observation of similar phenomena with superconducting circuits, microwaves and acoustic waves as had been studied with single atoms and photons in quantum optics.
As a theorist I have worked with methods that refine and elaborate on Glauber’s theories to describe the dynamics of open quantum systems, i.e., systems subject to interactions with their environment. I will show how these methods reintroduce, but with a plot twist, Niels Bohr’s quantum jumps in modern quantum physics. They provide the ultimate data processing tools for precision metrology, they offer unique insights into the dynamics of quantum systems, and they imply delightful encounters with the famous discussions between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein on the interpretation of quantum theory.
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Coffee, tea and cookies will be available in G1B31 (across from G1B20) from 3:30 - 3:50 p.m.
Physics Colloquia are held Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the JILA Auditorium.
To view recordings of each regular colloquium lecture, please go to the Spring 2023 Physics Colloquia YouTube Playlist.