The Wehrl phase distribution is defined as a phase density of the Wehrl classical information entropy. The new measure is applied to describe the quantum phase properties of some optical fields including Fock states, coherent and squeezed states, and superposition of chaotic and coherent fields. The Wehrl phase distribution is compared with both the conventional Wehrl entropy and Husimi phase distribution (the marginal Husimi Q-function). It is shown that the Wehrl phase distribution is a good measure of the phase-space uncertainty (noise), phase locking and phase bifurcation effects. It is also demonstrated that the Wehrl phase distribution properly describes phase randomization processes, and thus can be used in a description of the quantum optical phase.

Two standard criteria of the photon antibunching for non-stationary fields are compared. A new criterion, obtained by direct application of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, is proposed. All three definitions, based on the two-time correlation functions, are equivalent for stationary fields. However, the photon antibunching in the non-stationary regime is demonstrated to be not uniquely defined, since different criteria can lead to self-contradictory predictions. As an example, photon correlations of the signal mode in the parametric frequency converter are analysed analytically.

No abstract

No abstract