Topics of the Lectures 

Lecture 1 - 30/10/2026

Introduction to the course. The photoelectric effect, revisited. Semi-classical approach to light-matter interaction. Time-dependent pertubation theory. The Fermi's Golden Rule.  

REFERENCES: Introductory slides (click here!),  Lamb and the photoelectric effect  (click here!), GK: Ch. 4 (4.1-4.2).  

Lecture 2 - 01/10/2026 

Photon-counting statistics with a coherent beam of light with constant intentsity: "quantum" and "semi-classical" approaches. Poissonian distribution. Semi-classical theory of photodetection. Photocounting statistics of a fluctuating field: the Mandel formula.

REFERENCES: FOX: Ch. 5 (5.1,  5.2, 5.3, 5,4) -  LOU: Ch. 3 (3.9)

Lecture 3 - 02/10/2026 

Photocounting statistics of a fluctuating field: the Mandel formula. Classification of light by photon statistics: Poissonian, Super-Poissonian, and sub-Poissonian light. Discharge lamps and a model for chaotic light sources.  Stochastic processes: definition of stationary and ergodic processes. 

REFERENCES: FOX: Ch. 5 (5.5, 5.6, 5.8) -  LOU: Ch. 3 (3.6, 3.9)

Lecture 4 - 07/10/2026 

Intensity fluctuations of chaotic light: calculation of the probability distribution and its variance.  Mandel formula applied to a chaotic light source: from Bose-Einsterin to Poissonian distribution. Mandel formula and its connection to the second order correlation function:  Mandel Q parameter. 

REFERENCES: FOX: Ch. 5 (5.5, 5.6, 5.8) -  LOU: Ch. 3 (3.6, 3.9) -  Undergradutate experiment: photon-counting statistics  (click here!) 

Lecture 5 - 14/10/2026 

Further details on the Mandel formula and its connection to the second order correlation function.  Connection between the first order and second order correlation functions. Degree of second order coherence for chaotic light sources (collision broadening and Doppler broadening). 

REFERENCES: FOX: Ch. 2 (2.2,  2.3) - Ch. 6 (6.1, 6.2, 6.3) -  LOU: Ch. 3 (3.3,3.4,3.5,3.7, 3.8). 

ON THE FIRST ORDER CORRELATION FUNCTION SEE ALSO: Chapters 3.1-3.3 of Grant R. Fowles, Introduction to Modern Optics 

Lecture 6 - 15/10/2026 

Calculation of the Mandel Q parameter for chaotic light sources with collision broadening.  Thermal light and and the super-Poissonian carachter of balck-body radiation. Experiments demonstrating the existence of sub-poissonian sources of light: Frank-Hertz experiment in space-charge limited-current regime; Experiments performed with a beam of single atoms/molecules. Degradation of photon statistics by optical losses.  

REFERENCES: FOX: Ch. 6 (6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7) -  LOU: Ch. 3 (3.7, 3.9). Paper on the Franck-Hertz experiment (click here!) - Paper on the "single" atom experiment (click here!) - A more recent experiment with a single molecule (click here!)

Lecture 7 - 16/10/2026

Calculations of the bounds of the second order correlation function for any classical light source. New definition of light sources according to the value of the second order  correlation function at zero time delay. Photon bunching and antibunching.  Experimental demonstrations of photon antibunching. Kimble experiment with "single atoms". Experiments with single "artificial atoms". 

REFERENCES: FOX: Kimble experiment (click here!) - Michler experiment (click here!)  Slides presented during the lecture  (only the first two, click here!) 

Lecture 8 - 21/10/2026 

How to quantize the electromagnetic field. Hamilton's equations. Potential theory for the classical electromagnetic field.  Coulomb gauge and the Helmotz theorem. 

REFERENCES:  LOU: Ch. 4 (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4) 

Lecture 9 - 22/10/2026 

Quantization of the electromagnetic field.  Fock states. Multi-mode and single-mode states. Fock state or photon number states. Discusssion about the concept of "photon". The quadrature operators in the classical and quantum pictures. Quantum noise. 

REFERENCES:  LOU: Ch. 4 (4.4), Ch. 5 (5.1, 5.2) 

Lecture 10 - 28/10/2026 

Lecture 11 - 29/10/2026 

Lecture 12 - 30/10/2026

Lecture 13 - 4/11/2026  

Lecture 14- 5/11/2026  

Lecture 15- 6/11/2026  

Lecture 16 - 11/11/2026 

Lecture 17 - 12/11/2026 

Lecture 18 - 13/11/2026 

Lecture 19 - 18/11/2026 

Lecture 20 - 19/11/2026 

Lecture 21- 20/11/2026 

Lecture 22 - 25/11/2026

Lecture 23 - 26/11/2026 

Lecture 24- 27/11/2026 

Lecture 25 - 02/12/2026

Lecture 26 - 03/12/2026 

Lecture 27- 04/12/2026 

Lecture 28 - 09/12/2026

Lecture 29 - 10/12/2026  - To be confirmed (SEM)

Lecture 30- 11/12/2026  - To be confirmed (SEM)

Lecture 31 - 16/12/2026

Lecture 32 - 17/12/2026 

Lecture 33 - 18/12/2026