Classical light, nonlinear quantum optics

After an overview of the main papers devoted to chaos in lasers (Section I.A) and in nonlinear optical processes (Section I.B), we present a more detailed analysis of dynamics in a process of second-harmonic generation of light (Section II) as well as in Kerr oscillators (Section III). The last case we consider particularly in the context of coupled nonlinear systems. Finally, we present a cumulant approach to the problem of quantum corrections to the classical dynamics in second-harmonic generation and Kerr processes (Section IV). 

Nonlinear optics deals with physical systems described by Maxwell equations with an nonlinear polarization vector. One of the best known nonlinear optical processes is the second-harmonic generation (SHG) of light. In this section we consider a well-known set of equations describing generation of the second harmonic of light in a medium with second-order nonlinear susceptibility %(2 The classical approach of this section is extended to a quantum case in Section IV. 

The phase mismatch which impedes the second-harmonic generation leads also to the cascading of quadratic nonlinearities and the induced phase shift. This effect has been used in continuous-wave optical devices and much effort has been devoted to the classical description of light propagation. We address the quantum theory of steady-state propagation of light and compare this formalism... 

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