Quantum Photonics

Photonics is the discipline of electrons and photons working in tandem to create new physics, new devices and new applications. This textbook employs a pedagogical approach that facilitates access to the fundamentals of quantum photonics. Beginning with a review of the quantum properties of photons and electrons, the book then introduces the concept of their non-locality at the quantum level. It presents a determination of electronic band structure using the pseudopotential method, enabling the student to directly compute the band structures of most group IV, group III-V, and group II-VI semiconductors. The book devotes further in-depth discussion of second quantization of the electromagnetic field that describes spontaneous and stimulated emission of photons, quantum entanglement and introduces the topic of quantum cascade lasers, showing how electrons and photons interact in a quantum environment to create a practical photonic device.

This extended second editionincludes a detailed description of the link between quantum photon states and the macroscopic electric field. It describes the particle qualities of quantum electrons via their unique operator algebra and distinguishable behavior from photons, and employs these fundamentals to describe the quantum point contact, which is the quantum analogue of a transistor and the basic building block of all nanoscopic circuits, such as electron interferometers.