11-2 Canonical quantization

Lesson 11 Quantized Electromagnetic Radiation
Step 2: Canonical quantization
In this step, we discuss the canonical quantization. This is a recipe that allows us to take a classical description of a physical system and move to a quantum description.

This is part of our module: "From Classical to Quantum Light".

[jacobvandijk]

Conjugate variables is a concept from mathematics. They are pairs of variables linked together by the Fourier Transform. For example, continuous time can be transformed in discrete frequencies. The Uncertainty Principle is called after Heisenberg because he applied this mathematical transformation in physics. It is the logical consequence of the choice in physics to describe the state of a physical system by using cosine and sine functions (or wave equations). The fact that the conjugate variables x and p(x) don't commute is just a mathematical result of this choice.