Quantum Fluctuations and Noise in Parametric Processes. I.

A quantum mechanical model for parametric interactions is used to evaluate the effect of the measuring (amplifying) process on the statistical properties of radiation. Parametric amplification is shown to be ideal in the sense that it allows a simultaneous determination of the phase and number of quanta of an electromagnetic wave with an accuracy which is limited only by the uncertainty principle. Frequency conversion via parametric processes is shown to be free of zero-point fluctuations.