Nonclassical light

<p>In <a href="/facts/Optics/p0vq4S1T">optics</a>, nonclassical light is <a href="/facts/Light/jeofpMn4">light</a> that cannot be described using <a href="/facts/Classical_electromagnetism/vK0YI6dj">classical electromagnetism</a>; its characteristics are described by the quantized <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_field/MacraS8y">electromagnetic field</a> and <a href="/facts/Quantum_mechanics/BRc3Mzgr">quantum mechanics</a>.
</p><p>The most common described forms of nonclassical light are the following:
</p>
<ul><li>Photon statistics of nonclassical Light is <a href="/facts/Photon_Statistics/R0gGvUvo">sub-Poissonian</a> in the sense that the average number of photons in a photodetection of this kind of light shows a standard deviation that is less than the mean number of the photons.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Squeezed_coherent_state/hmfvCUHK">Squeezed light</a> exhibits reduced noise in one quadrature component. The most familiar kinds of squeezed light have either reduced amplitude noise or reduced phase noise, with increased noise of the other component.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Fock_state/GtFWL7uV">Fock states</a> (also called <a href="/facts/Photon/mFNhAEzA">photon</a> number states) have a well-defined number of photons (stored e.g. in a cavity), while the phase is totally undefined.</li></ul>

Nonclassical light open-in-new

Nonclassical light