Quantum optics in cavities and the classical limit of quantum mechanics

These lectures review some basic techniques of quantum optics, related to the description of the quantized electromagnetic field in phase space and of the interaction between atoms and photons in cavities. The Wigner function is introduced, and some of the methods for measuring this distribution are reviewed. The combination of phase space methods with cavity QED techniques is shown to lead to experiments which are closely connected to fundamental problems regarding the classical limit of quantum mechanics and the quantum theory of measurement.