From operators to groups: a dual perspective on coherent and squeezed states

Abstract These lecture notes provide a comprehensive exploration of coherent and squeezed states, which are central to quantum optics and continuous-variable quantum information. We begin with the traditional formalism, where displacement and squeezing operators are defined via the creation and annihilation operators. Coherent states are presented as quantum analogues of classical fields with minimal uncertainty, while squeezed states are introduced as nonclassical resources that reduce quantum noise below the vacuum limit, enabling next-generation quantum technologies. A central feature of these notes is a parallel development from a group-theoretical standpoint. Here, these operators are defined abstractly by their algebraic properties, revealing their structure as bosonic realizations of the Weyl–Heisenberg and $$SU(1,1)$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>U</mml:mi> <mml:mo>(</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> structures, respectively. This advanced perspective not only provides a more rigorous mathematical foundation but also leads to new insights, including a proof of the uniqueness of the single-mode squeezing operator and a no-go theorem for certain multi-mode squeezing configurations. Designed for both pedagogical clarity and advanced study, these notes bridge the foundational operator algebra of quantum optics with the modern group-theoretical structures essential for research in continuous-variable quantum systems.