This article presents a general master equation formalism for the interaction between travelling pulses of quantum radiation and localized quantum systems. Traveling fields populate a continuum of free space radiation modes and the Jaynes-Cummings model, valid for a discrete eigenmode of a cavity, does not apply. We develop a complete input-output theory to describe the driving of quantum systems by arbitrary incident pulses of radiation and the quantum state of the field emitted into any desired outgoing temporal mode. Our theory is applicable to the transformation and interaction of pulses of radiation by their coupling to a wide class of material quantum systems. We discuss the most essential differences between quantum interactions with pulses and with discrete radiative eigenmodes and present examples relevant to quantum information protocols with optical, microwave and acoustic waves.

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量子与辐射脉冲的相互作用

本文为量子辐射的行进脉冲与局部量子系统之间的相互作用提供了一个通用的主方程形式。行进场填充了自由空间辐射模式的连续体，并且不适用于腔的离散本征模的Jaynes-Cummings模型。我们开发了完整的输入输出理论，以描述通过辐射的任意入射脉冲驱动的量子系统以及发射到任何所需的输出时间模式的场的量子状态。我们的理论适用于辐射脉冲的转换和相互作用，因为它们与各种各样的材料量子系统耦合。