Filtering equation for a measurement of a coherent channel

Abstract: A stochastic model for a continuous photon counting and heterodyne measurement of a coherent source is proposed. A nonlinear filtering equation for the posterior state of a single-mode field in a cavity is derived by using the methods of quantum stochastic calculus. The posterior dynamics is found for the observation of a Bose field being initially in a coherent state. The filtering equations for counting and diffusion processes are given.