Quantum Optics

Markus Müller

Lecture 1
7 October 2019
 A few words about me

Markus Müller

m.mueller@physik.rwth-aachen.de

MBP2, Room 111

Swansea Aachen
Open-door policy

Konstanz
Innsbruck

2000 - 06 Physics undergraduates studies 



 (Konstanz, Germany) Madrid
07 - 11 PhD (IQOQI & Univ. Innsbruck, Austria)
11 - 15 Postdoctoral researcher 

(Complutense University Madrid, Spain)
15 - 19 Lecturer, Professor in Physics

(Swansea University, Wales UK)
Oct 2019 Professor in Theoretical Quantum Technology

(RWTH Aachen & Forschungszentrum Jülich)
 A few words about me

Research Quantum Computation and Quantum Simulation in 


Atomic, Molecular and Many-Body Systems

Theoretical Quantum
Physics Research Nobel Prize 1923
Oil drop experiment

Can we use physical systems

governed by the laws of quantum
mechanics for quantum
technological applications?
 My research field and background
N

|0⟩|AN ⟩ → |0⟩|AN ⟩,
Rydberg excited Calciu
|0⟩|B N ⟩ → |0⟩|B N ⟩,
|1⟩|AN ⟩ → |1⟩|B N ⟩, |1⟩|B N ⟩ → |1⟩|AN ⟩,
for quantum interact
Physical Systems |0⟩ |1⟩ |A⟩ |B⟩
Innsbruck – Mainz – Nottingham
Rydberg atoms N Trapped ions Trapped Rydberg ions
|AN ⟩ ≡ N
!
k=1 |A⟩k
N
|B ⟩ ≡
!N
k=1 |B⟩k Igor Lesanovsky
(α|0⟩ + β|1⟩) |AN ⟩ → α|0⟩|AN ⟩ +
β|1⟩|B N ⟩

Warsaw –
Topics / Applications
|A⟩ |B⟩

? N
H. BOMBIN AND M. A. MARTIN-DELGADO

FIG. 1. !Color online" An example of 2-colex. Both edges a

faces are three-colorable and they are colored in such a way th
Quantum Simulators to study Quantum Error Correction
green edges connect green faces !light gray" and so on and so for
Building quantum computers for red !medium gray" and blue !dark gray" edges and faces.
complex systems Topological Quantum Codes
functions of statistical mechanical models with three-bod
interactions and external magnetic fields. Section VI is d
voted to conclusions.

www.markus-mueller.website II. TOPOLOGICAL COLOR CODES

A. Construction
 Information about this course
Structure of the module
- Lectures: some part as slides, 

most of the material: hand-written on “real” whiteboard
- Scanned notes available online
- Weekly problem sheets (not assessed)
- Final oral exam
- Exercise class (Übungsgruppe, not assessed),

held by Lucia Gonzalez (l.gonzalez@fz-juelich.de, room 108)


Suggested reading list

- Book Introductory Quantum Optics 

by Gerry and Knight
- Book Exploring the Quantum

by Haroche and Raimond

Your feedback and suggestions

are welcome!
 Tentative overview of material covered

Quantisation of light

Quantum states of the EM field: coherent states, squeezed states, phase state distributions

Measurement of the light field: photon detectors and correlations

Interferometers: beam splitters, fundamental experiments and applications

Interaction of light and matter: laser-driven atoms, Jaynes-Cummings model

Interaction with an environment - open quantum systems: density matrix, master equations, …

Atom-cavity systems: Rydberg Atoms & Light (Nobel prize 2012)

Modern Developments of Quantum Optics: 


Fundamentals of trapped-ion quantum computing, single and two-qubit gates, …