Universality of short distance corrections to quantum optics

Abstract

As quantum optical phenomena are based on Maxwell’s equations, and it is becoming important to understand quantum optical phenomena at short distances, so it is important to analyze quantum optics using short distance corrected Maxwell’s equation. Maxwell’s action can be obtained from quantum electrodynamics using the framework of effective field theory, and so the leading order short distance corrections to Maxwell’s action can also be obtained from the derivative expansion of the same effective field theory. Such short distance corrections will be universal for all quantum optical systems, and they will affect all short distance quantum optical phenomena. In this paper, we will analyze the form of such corrections, and demonstrate the standard formalism of quantum optics can still be used (with suitable modifications) to analyze quantum optical phenomena from this short distance corrected Maxwell’s actions.