QUANTUM OPTICS AND LASER

The Course is essentially divided into the following four parts:

Properties of the light quanta, or photons, and the statistics of radiation. Description of classical and coherent light introducing the methods of Quantum Optics. Introductory concepts of quantization of the atoms and of radiation fields. Laboratory on photon statistics and of generation of random numbers on the base of quantum processes using single photon detectors.
2. Principles of laser. Generation of stimulated radiation and emission. Quantum electronics and the luminescence. Optical pumping. Optical gain. Saturation of the gain. Radiation noise. Concept of laser action. Different laser realization. Generation of light pulses. Techniques to reach nanosecond, pico, femto and attosecond domains.
Laboratory on Laser sources, on pulse generation and measurement.
3. Generation and propagation of optical beams. Discussion of Gaussian beams properties, high-order modes, orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light. Optical resonators.

4. Applications: Principles of laser-matter interaction and examples in industrial and medical processes. Introduction to Quantum Information and Quantum Communications using single and entangled photons, and the main applications.

Concept and applications will be constantly associated and discussed along the Course, both in the classroom and in the Labs.
Learning how elaborating of the concepts of light generation and control already have provided new ideas and applications in many areas should provide the stimulus for envisaging new ones.