Quantum Optics and Quantum Information

Unique in its rigorously combined treatment of quantum optics and quantum information, this textbook teaches the basic principles of light-matter interaction, the theoretical tools of quantum information, and how and which systems can be used for quantum information processing. Adopting a didactical approach field-tested by the author in numerous lectures, the book introduces basic principles of quantum optics, ranging from cavity QED and the Jaynes-Cummings model to phase space functions, the detector theory and open quantum systems. While quantum information tools and formalisms are used to develop this theory, the quantum optics aspects serve as the foundation for a further discussion of physical implementations of quantum information processing devices. The foundations of quantum mechanics are discussed, such as decoherence, quasi-probability distributions, and entanglement, and the author additionally provides an introduction to the standard quantum information applications, such as quantum computation and quantum cryptography. Problem sections at the end of each chapter help students to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter, and a wide-ranging reference section covers quantum states often encountered in the literature. The overall result is an integrated course on these two modern disciplines.