Realistic measurement of phase

One of the most delicate problems in quantum optics is the proper description of the phase of a single-mode radiation field. One has first to devise an experimental scheme for phase measurement, thus giving an operational definition of phase, and afterwards search for the proper quantum-mechanical description of the experimental procedure. Several such schemes which differ distinctly in their experimental setup have already been proposed and even partly realized. In this paper, I will describe them in some detail and present the outlines of their theoretical analysis.<
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