Journal of Statistical Physics, VoL 54, Nos. 5/6, 1989. p. 1243-1288.
In quantum optics noise plays an important role, since many of the nonlinear optical systems are quite sensitive to the subtle influences of weak random perturbations, being either classical of quantum mechanical in nature. We discuss the origin of quantum noise emerging from the reversible or the irreversible part of the dynamics and compare it with the properties of purely classical fluctuations. These general features are illustrated by a number of physical examples, such as the laser with loss or gain noise, nonlinear optical devices, and the phenomenon of quantum jumps. These processes have been chosen mainly to illustrate the different aspects of noise, but also because, to a large extent, they can be described in analytical terms.