Phase properties of light propagating in a Kerr medium: Stokes parameters versus Pegg-Barnett predictions

Abstract

The quantum theory of light propagation in a Kerr medium is applied to describe changes in the polarization state of light. A number of purely quantum effects arising during the propagation are analyzed. Stokes operators and Pegg-Barnett formalism are used to describe the evolution of the polarization ellipse. The predictions of these approaches are compared, showing some striking differences in the quantum regime of small photon numbers.