Nonlinear interactions and non-classical light

Abstract

The term non-classical concerns light whose properties cannot be explained by classical electrodynamics and which requires invoking quantum principles to be understood. Its existence is a direct consequence of field quantization; its study is a source of our understanding of many quantum phenomena. Non-classical light also has properties that may be of technological significance. We start this chapter by discussing the definition of non-classical light and basic examples. Then some of the most prominent applications of non-classical light are reviewed. After that, as the principal part of our discourse, we review the most common sources of non-classical light. We will find them surprisingly diverse, including physical systems of various sizes and complexity, ranging from single atoms to optical crystals and to semiconductor lasers. Putting all these dissimilar optical devices in the common perspective we attempt to establish a trend in the field and to foresee the new cross-disciplinary approaches and techniques of generating non-classical light.