Professor Howard Carmichael

MSc, D.Phil (Waikato), FRSNZ
The Dan Walls Chair in Theoretical Physics

Contact details
Building 303, Room 633
Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 88899
Email: h.carmichael@auckland.ac.nz

• Theoretical Quantum Optics
• Quantum Theory of Open Systems
• Quantum Stochastic Processes

Quantum Trajectory Theory
Quantum trajectory theory treats the open systems encountered in quantum optics according to a scattering scenario, in which the inputs are classical fields (external fields) and the outputs are classical stochastic processes that model the scattered fields after detection (after their measurement).

The mapping from inputs to outputs is provided by a quantum stochastic process that is set up to account for a particular measurement strategy (eg., photon counting, homodyne/heterodyne detection, etc). Both the formal theory and its applications are under study. Recent work includes the development of a novel measurement scheme to correlate the quadrature amplitudes of an electromagnetic field, applications of this scheme in cavity quantum electrodynamics, and the modeling of multimode aspects of collective radiative phenomena (super-radiance).

Entanglement and Correlation in Composite Systems
Quantum optics has traditionally concerned itself with uniquely quantum mechanical aspects of optical phenomena (eg. photon anti-bunching and squeezing, violations of Bell inequalities). Attention in recent years has been focused on applications of these quantum features of light to novel schemes for processing information (so-called quantum information science). Entangled states are central to the proposed information processing protocols. Current work is directed towards understanding entangled states, and the contextual correlations they describe, in the broadest sense, ie, we are concerned with the physics of composite quantum systems in general. Specific interests include measures of entanglement for open systems, and schemes for the generation and manipulation of this entanglement. Continous variable entanglement is of particular interest. It has been suggested by others that this form of entanglement can be accounted for within stochastic electrodynamics. The suggestion is being assessed. A quantum trajectory theory of continuous variable teleportation is being developed for comparison with the stochastic electrodynamics proposal.
 

2010:

• BECERRA, F.E., WILLIS, R.T., ROLSTON, D.L., CARMICHAEL, H.J., OROZCO, L.A. 'Non-degenerate four-wave mixing in rubidium vapor: transient regime', Phys. Rev. A, 82, 043833, 2010
• NHA, H., MILBURN, G.J., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Linear amplification and quantum cloning for non-Gaussian continuous variables', New J. Phys., 12, 103010, 2010
• NORRIS, D.G., OROZCO, L.A., BARBERIES-BOLSTEIN, P., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Observation of ground state quantum beats in atomic spontaneous emission', Phys. Rev. Lett., 105, 123602, 2010
• BARBERIES-BOLSTEIN, P., NORRIS, D.G., OROZCO, L.A., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'From quantum feedback to probabilistic error correction: manipulation of quantum beats in cavity QED', New J. Phys., 12, 023002, 2010
• SHAMAILOV, S.S., PARKINS, A.S., COLLETT, M.J., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Multi-photon blockade and dressing of the dressed states', Optics Commun., 283, 766, 2010

2009:

• GERBER, S., ROTTER, D., SLODICKA, L., ESCHNER, J., CARMICHAEL, H.J., BLATT, R. 'Intensity-field correlation of single-atom resonance fluorescence', Phys. Rev. Lett., 102, 183601, 2009

2008:

• NOH, C., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Disentanglement of source and target and the laser quantum state', Phys. Rev. Lett., 100, 120405, 2008

2007:

• HORVATH, L., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Effect of atomic beam alignment on photon correlation measurements in cavity QED ' Phys. Rev. A, 76, 04382, 2007
•  DIMER, F., ESTIENNE, B., PARKINS, A.S., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Proposed realization of the Dicke-model quantum phase transition in an optical cavity QED system', Phys. Rev. A, 75, 031804, 2007

2006:

• GU, M., PARKINS, A.S., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Entangled-state cycles from conditional quantum evolution', Phys. Rev. A, 73, 043813, 2006

• CARMICHAEL, H.J. Statistical Methods in Quantum Optics 2: Non-classical Fields, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2008

2009:

• CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Quantum Jump Experiments', in Compendium of Quantum Physics: Concepts, Experiments, History and Philosophy, eds. Greenberger D., Hentschel K., and Weinert F., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2009, p595-598

2006:

• IHIMAERA, W., CARMICHAEL, H.J., WILTSHIRE, D. 'Dead of Night', in Are Angels OK: The Parallel Universes of New Zealand Writers and Scientists, eds. Callaghan P. and Manhire P., Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006, p133-193
•  CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Quantum fluctuations of light: a modern perspective on wave/particle duality', in QuantumMechanics at the Crossroads. eds. Evans J. and Thorndyke A.S., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2006, p183-212

2010:

• CARMICHAEL., H.J, NORRIS, D.G., OROZCO, L.A, BARBERIS-BLOSTEIN, P. 'Quantum trajectory theory of ground state quantum beats in atomic spontaneous emission', 19th International Laser Physics Workshop, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, 5-9 July, 2010
•  CARMICHAEL, H.J, SHAMILOV, S.S., PARKINS, A.P, COLLETT, M.J., 'Cavity QED: Nonlinearity in the world of quanta ', IVth International Conference: Frontiers in Nonlinear Physics, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 12-19 July, 2010
•  CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Breakdown of multiphoton blockade: A dissipative quantum phase transition', 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Laser Science, Taiyuan, China, 21-25 August, 2010
•  CARMICHAEL, H.J., NORRIS, D.G., OROZCO, L.A., BARBERIS-BLOSTEIN, P. 'Quantum trajectory theory of ground state quantum beats in atomic spontaneous emission’, 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Laser Science, Taiyuan, China, 21-25 August, 2010

2009:

• CARMICHAEL, H.J., NOH, C., 'Quantum teleportation of the temporal correlations of light: Squeezing and bandwidth requirements', 39th Winter Colloquium on the Physics of Quantum Electronics, Snowbird, Utah, USA, 5-8 January, 2009
• CARMICHAEL, H.J., SHAMAILOV, S., PARKINS, A.S., COLLETT, M.J., 'Dissipative quantum phase transitions for photons and a single qubit,' 18th International Laser Physics Workshop, Barcelona, Spain, 13-17 July, 2009

2008:

• HORVATH, L., COLLETT, M.J., CARMICHAEL, H.J., FISHER, R. 'Quantum stochastic heating of a trapped ion', Coherence and Quantum Optics IX, proceedings of the 9th Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 10-13 June, 2007, eds. N. P. Bigelow, J. H. Eberly, and C. R. Stroud, Optical Society of America, 2008, p232-47
• NOH, C., CARMICHAEL, H.J., 'Laser qubit separability', 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Laser Science, Carnes, Australia, July 2-5, 2008
• NOH, C., CARMICHAEL, H.J., 'Teleportation of nonclassical light', International Conference on Atomic Physics 2008, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, July 22 – Aug 1, 2008

2007:

• KRONENWETT, M., PARKINS, A.S., CARMICHAEL, H.J. 'Photon correlations in two-mode cavity QED', 9th Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics, Rochester, New York, USA, 10-13 June, 2007
• CARMICHAEL, H.J., HORVATH, L., FISHER, R., COLLETT, M.J. 'Quantum stochastic heating of a trapped ion', IIIrd International Conference: Frontiers of Nonlinear Physics, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 3-6 July, 2007
• CARMICHAEL, H.J., NOH, C., NHA, H., 'Entanglement between a laser source and target', 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Quantum Information Science, Singapore, 1-2 Aug, 2007

2006:

• CARMICHAEL, H.J., HORVATH, L., FISHER, R., COLLETT, M., 'Quantum jumps and the quasiclassical motion of a trapped ion', 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Quantum Information Science, Seoul, South Korea, 27-30 August, 2006
• CARMICHAEL, H.J., NOH, C., 'Continuous variable teleportation of Gaussian and non-Gaussian light', Frontiers in Optics 2006, Rochester, New York, 9-12 October, 2006
• HORVATH, L., FISHER, R., COLLETT, M.J., CARMICHAEL, H.J., 'Quantum jumps and the quasiclassical motion of a trapped Ion', AIP 17th National Congress 2006, Brisbane, Australia, 3-8 December, 2006
• NOH. C., HORVATH., CARMICHAEL, H.J., 'Quantum teleportation of resonance fluorescence: Analytic results for spectra and photon correlations', AIP 17th National Congress 2006, Brisbane, Australia, 3-8 December, 2006