English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

According to classical theory, the combined effect of several electromagneticfields is described under the generic term of interference, where intensitypatterns with maxima and minima emerge over space. On the other hand, quantumtheory asserts that considering only the expectation value of the total fieldis insufficient to describe light-matter coupling, and the most widespreadexplanation highlights the role of quantum fluctuations to obtain correctpredictions. We here connect the two worlds by showing that classicalinterference can be quantum-mechanically interpreted as a bosonic form ofsuper- and subradiance, giving rise to bright and dark states for light modes.We revisit the double-slit experiment and the Mach-Zehnder interferometer,reinterpreting their predictions in terms of collective states of the radiationfield. We also demonstrate that quantum fluctuations are not the key ingredientin describing the light-matter quantum dynamics when several vacuum modes areinvolved. In light of our approach, the unambiguous criterion for the couplingto occur is the presence of non-dark states when decomposing the collectivestate of light. We discuss how the results here discussed could be verified intrapped ion systems or in cross-cavity setups. Finally, we show how the bosonicbright and dark states can be employed to implement quantum gates, which pavesthe way for the engineering of multimode schemes for universal quantumcomputing.

Bright and Dark States of Light: The Quantum Origin of Classical Interference