This book offers a systematic and comprehensive exposition of the quantum stochastic methods that have been developed in the field of quantum optics. It includes new treatments of photodetection, quantum amplifier theory, non-Markovian quantum stochastic processes, quantum input--output theory, and positive P-representations. It is the first book in which quantum noise is described by a mathematically complete theory in a form that is also suited to practical applications. Special attention is paid to non-classical effects, such as squeezing and antibunching. Chapters added to the previous edition, on the stochastic Schrödinger equation, and on cascaded quantum systems, and now supplemented, in the third edition by a chapter on recent developments in various pertinent fields such as laser cooling, Bose-Einstein condensation, quantum feedback and quantum information.

From the contents: A Historical Introduction.- Quantum Statistics.- Quantum Langevin Equations.- Phase Space Methods.- Quantum Markov Processes.- Applying the Master Equation.- Amplifiers and Measurement.- Photon Counting.- Interaction of Light with Atoms.- Squeezing.- The Stochastic Schrödinger Equation.- Cascaded Quantum Systems.- Supplement.- Bibliography.- Author Index.- Index.