Coherent States and Fock States at Very High Average Photon Numbers

A laser field may be idealized as a coherent state, but it is often more convenient to use Fock states fQr quantum electrodynamical calculations. A Fock state implies fluctuations in the field intensity, aptl a constant field intensity (coherent state) implies fluctuations in the photon number. Both these effects are discussed rigorously. When the average photon number tends to infinity, these dif…