Spatial light mode analogues of generalized quantum coherent states

TL;DR

This paper constructs classical optical analogues of quantum coherent states using light's spatial modes, preserving quantum statistical properties and enabling new optical sensing and metrology applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to create optical analogues of generalized quantum coherent states with specific symmetries, bridging quantum and classical optics.

Findings

Optical analogues preserve quantum statistical properties.

Analogues enable robust optical sensing of photosensitive materials.

Potential applications in optical metrology and quantum state exploration.

Abstract

We use the spatial degree of freedom of light modes to construct optical analogues of generalized quantum coherent states for Hermite- and Laguerre-Gauss modes. Our optical analogues preserve the statistical properties of their quantum counterparts, encoded in their amplitude and phase distributions. We explore three basic symmetries that provide generalized displaced, rotated, and squeezed coherent states. Given the substantial interest in squeezed states for probing matter, we believe that the optical analogues introduced here have significant implications for optical sensing. Specifically, the single-particle nature of our spatial modes makes them robust candidates for sensing photosensitive materials. Overall, our approach opens the door to optical metrology and sensing protocols that mimic those already existing in the quantum realm, and facilitates further exploration of the quantum state zoo through classical optical analogues.