This third edition, like its two predecessors, provides a detailed account of the basic theory needed to understand the properties of light and its interactions with atoms, in particular the many nonclassical effects that have now been observed in quantum-optical. The earlier chapter describe the quantum mechanics of various optical processes, leaing from the classical represention of the eletromagnetic field to the quantum theory of light. The later chaplop the theoretical descriptions of some of the key experiments in quantum optics.

Over half of the material in this third edition is new . It includes topics that have come into prominence over the last two decades, such as beamsplitter theory, squeezed light, two-photon interference, balanced homodyne detection, travelling attenuation and amplifcation, quantum jumps, and the range of nonlinear optical processes important in the generation of nonclassical light.

The book is written as a treatment as a whole appropriate for graduate or postgraduate students, while earlier chapters are also suitable for final-year undergraduates. Over 100 problems help to reinforce the understanding of the material presented.

Rodney London is professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Essex

1. Planck's radiation lawand the Einstein coefficients
2. Quantum mechanics of the atom-radiation interaction
3. Classical theory of optical fluctuations and coherence
4. Quantization of the radiation field
5. Single-mode quantum optics
6. Multimode and continuous-mode quantum optics
7. Optical generation, attenuation and Amplification
8. Resonance fiuorescence and light scattering
9. Nonlinear quantum optics