  We construct a Hamiltonian for the generation of arbitrary pure states of the
quantized electromagnetic field. The proposition is based upon the fact that a
unitary transformation for the generation of number states has been already
found. The general unitary transformation here obtained, would allow the use of
nonlinear interactions for the production of pure states. We discuss the
applicability of this method by giving examples of generation of simple
superposition states. We also compare our Hamiltonian with the one resulting
from the interaction of trapped ions with two laser fields.
