Phys. Rev. A 48, 4702–4708 (1993)Phase-difference operatorReceived 15 March 1993; published in the issue dated December 1993 We introduce a unitary operator representing the exponential of the phase difference between two modes of the electromagnetic field. The eigenvalue spectrum has a discrete character that is fully analyzed. We relate this operator with a suitable polar decomposition of the Stokes parameters of the field, obtaining a natural classical limit. The cases of weakly and highly excited states are considered, discussing to what extent it is possible to talk about the phase for a single-mode field. This operator is applied to some interesting two-mode fields. © 1993 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.48.4702
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevA.48.4702
PACS:
42.50.Dv, 03.65.-w
See AlsoComment: D. T. Pegg and John A. Vaccaro, Comment on ‘‘Phase-difference operator’’, Phys. Rev. A 51, 859 (1995). Reply: A. Luis and L. L. Sánchez-Soto, Reply to ‘‘Comment on ‘Phase-difference operator’ ’’, Phys. Rev. A 51, 861 (1995). |
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.