Familiarization with the infrared world Thermal imaging systems extend human perception beyond the visible spectrum. Since their principle is based on the natural emission of energy by physical bodies, they represent today the subject of a great deal of interest in many fields, whether in the military field or in industry or in research laboratories. They can be employed to analyse physical properties of objects, such as their energy level or their surface appearance; they are also commonly used to observe scenes in particular conditions like night vision, or in order to increase the visibility range through haze and fogs. All of these applications exploit the properties of infrared radiation whose characteristics are described in this book. This is achieved in a manner which differs from other publications on the same subject in that the book is governed by the intention to progressively lead the reader to a complete understanding of the infrared. The author intends to link physical theory to each specific aspect of the elements involved in the detection process, from their physical origin up to energy mapping in a two-dimensional picture. However we thought that it was unnecessary to demonstrate again that which the reader will easily find in scientific literature, nor to write another data book. Our aim is to fill the gap between theory and practical application. The subject is vast: infrared systems combines a wide variety of disciplines and image interpretation depends on the precise understanding of various phenomena.

The book contains high quality papers presented in the Fifth International Conference on Innovations in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ICIECE 2016) held at Guru Nanak Institutions, Hyderabad, India during 8 and 9 July 2016. The objective is to provide the latest developments in the field of electronics and communication engineering specially the areas like Image Processing, Wireless Communications, Radar Signal Processing, Embedded Systems and VLSI Design. The book aims to provide an opportunity for researchers, scientists, technocrats, academicians and engineers to exchange their innovative ideas and research findings in the field of Electronics and Communication Engineering.

The International Symposium on Acoustical Imaging is a unique forum for advanced research, covering new technologies, developments, methods and theories in all areas of acoustics. This interdisciplinary Symposium has been taking placecontinuously since 1968. In the course of the years the proceedings volumes in the Acoustical Imaging Series have become a reference for cutting-edge research in the field. In 2011 the 31st International Symposium on Acoustical Imaging was held in Warsaw, Poland, April 10-13. Offering both a broad perspective on the state-of-the-art as well as in-depth research contributions by the specialists in the field, this Volume 31 in the Series contains an excellent collection of papers insix major categories:
Biological and Medical Imaging
Physics and Mathematics of Acoustical Imaging
Acoustic Microscopy
Transducers and Arrays
Nondestructive Evaluation and Industrial Applications
Underwater Imaging"

Solid Freeform Fabrication is a set of manufacturing processes that are capable of producing complex freeform solid objects directly from a computer model of an object without part-specific tooling or knowledge. In essence, these methods are miniature manufacturing plants which come complete with material handling, information processing and materials processing. As such, these methods require technical knowledge from many disciplines; therefore, researchers, engineers, and students in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, and Manufacturing Engineering and Materials and Computer Science will all find some interest in this subject. Particular subareas of concern include manufacturing methods, polymer chemistry, computational geometry, control, heat transfer, metallurgy, ceramics, optics, and fluid mechanics. History of technology specialists may also find Chapter 1 of interest. Although this book covers the spectrum of different processes, the emphasis is clearly on the area in which the authors have the most experience, thermal laser processing. In particular, the authors have all been developers and inventors of techniques for the Selective Laser Sintering process and laser gas phase techniques (Selective Area Laser Deposition). This is a research book on the subject of Solid Freeform Fabrication.

This book focuses on speech signal phenomena, presenting a robustification of the usual speech generation models with regard to the presumed types of excitation signals, which is equivalent to the introduction of a class of nonlinear models and the corresponding criterion functions for parameter estimation. Compared to the general class of nonlinear models, such as various neural networks, these models possess good properties of controlled complexity, the option of working in "online" mode, as well as a low information volume for efficient speech encoding and transmission. Providing comprehensive insights, the book is based on the authors' research, which has already been published, supplemented by additional texts discussing general considerations of speech modeling, linear predictive analysis and robust parameter estimation.

Nonlinear-optical (NLO) effects make possible devices that perform many functions, such as wavelength conversion and signal processing, while waveguides enable the devices to be both efficient and compact. This book presents a systematic description of the NLO field, with an emphasis on devices that use ferroelectric waveguides. The earlier chapters provide an introduction to the concepts of waveguides, NLO devices, coupled-mode formalism and phase matching. Then, various NLO interactions and the related characteristics are elucidated and the fabrication of waveguides and structures for quasi-phase matching are discussed. The volume culminates in a survey of device implementations and applications. In this respect, short-wavelength-generation devices, wavelength converters for WDM photonic networks, optical parametric amplifiers, and ultrafast signal processing devices are examined, including the most recent experimental results.

"Mobile Speech and Advanced Natural Language Solutions" presents the discussion of the most recent advances in intelligent human-computer interaction, including fascinating new study findings on talk-in-interaction, which is the province of conversation analysis, a subfield in sociology/sociolinguistics, a new and emerging area in natural language understanding. Editors Amy Neustein and Judith A. Markowitz have recruited a talented group of contributors to introduce the next generation natural language technologies for practical speech processing applications that serve the consumer's need for well-functioning natural language-driven personal assistants and other mobile devices, while also addressing business' need for better functioning IVR-driven call centers that yield a more satisfying experience for the caller. This anthology is aimed at two distinct audiences: one consisting of speech engineers and system developers; the other comprised of linguists and cognitive scientists. The text builds on the experience and knowledge of each of these audiences by exposing them to the work of the other.

Mathematical morphology (MM) is a powerful methodology for the quantitative analysis of geometrical structures. It consists of a broad and coherent collection of theoretical concepts, nonlinear signal operators, and algorithms aiming at extracting, from images or other geometrical objects, information related to their shape and size. Its mathematical origins stem from set theory, lattice algebra, and integral and stochastic geometry. MM was initiated in the late 1960s by G. Matheron and J. Serra at the Fontainebleau School of Mines in France. Originally it was applied to analyzing images from geological or biological specimens. However, its rich theoretical framework, algorithmic efficiency, easy implementability on special hardware, and suitability for many shape- oriented problems have propelled its widespread diffusion and adoption by many academic and industry groups in many countries as one among the dominant image analysis methodologies. The purpose of Mathematical Morphology and its Applications to Image and Signal Processing is to provide the image analysis community with a sampling from the current developments in the theoretical (deterministic and stochastic) and computational aspects of MM and its applications to image and signal processing. The book consists of the papers presented at the ISMM'96 grouped into the following themes: Theory Connectivity Filtering Nonlinear System Related to Morphology Algorithms/Architectures Granulometries, Texture Segmentation Image Sequence Analysis Learning Document Analysis Applications

Addressed to both students as a learning text and scientists/engineers as a reference, this book discusses the physics and applications of quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). It is assumed that the reader has a basic background in quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, and semiconductor devices. To make this book as widely accessible as possible, the treatment and presentation of the materials is simple and straightforward. The topics for the book were chosen by the following criteria: they must be well-established and understood; and they should have been, or potentially will be, used in practical applications. The monograph discusses most aspects relevant for the field but omits, at the same time, detailed discussions of specialized topics such as the valence-band quantum wells.

InP is a key semiconductor for the production of optoelectronic and photonic devices. Its related compounds, such as InGaAsP alloy, have been realized as very important materials for communication in the 1.3 and 1.55 micron spectral regions. Furthermore, the applications on InP and related compounds have extended to other areas that include laser diodes, light emitting diodes, photodetectors, waveguides, photocathodes, solar cells, and many other applications. The topics presented in this book have been chosen to achieve a balance between the properties of bulk materials, doping, characterization, applications, and devices. This unique volume, featuring chapters written by experts in the field, provides a good starting point for those who are new to the subject and contains detailed results and in depth discussions for those who are experts in the field.

This book describes innovative techniques and the theoretical background for design and analysis of high performance RF/Microwave transmitters. It introduces new, robust linearization/efficiency enhancement techniques, applicable to all of the switched mode power amplifiers. Novel analysis methods associated with these new techniques are also introduced and supporting measurement results are documented. Innovative graphical representation methods are used to help the reader understand the matter intuitively. Applications for the techniques discussed are very extensive, ranging from data convertors to RF/Microwave/mm-wave wireless/wire line transmitters. The authors have avoided using lengthy formulas in the discussion and have used an intuitive and simple approach to go through the necessary details. Readers will gain valuable understanding of the dither phenomenon, its mechanism, effect and undesired side effects. The novel architectures introduced are simple, don't require complicated DSP techniques and are easy to implement.

The birth of quantum electronics in the middle of the 20th century, and the subsequent discovery of the laser, led to new trends in physics and a number of photonic technologies. This volume is dedicated to Peter Franken, a pioneer of nonlinear optics, and includes papers by the founders of quantum electronics, Aleksandr Prokhorov, Nicholaas Bloembergen and Norman Ramsey. A number of papers are devoted to current problems in laser physics, written by well-known leaders in the international quantum optics and lasers community and their collaborators. The topics covered range from astronomy to nuclear and semiconductor physics, and from fundamental problems in quantum mechanics to applications in novel laser materials and nanoscience.

This book, now in its fourth edition, is a well-known classic on the ultrafast nonlinear and linear processes responsible for supercontinuum generation. The book begins with chapters reviewing the experimental and theoretical understanding of the field along with key applications developed since the discovery of the supercontinuum effect. The chapters that follow cover recent research activity on supercontinuum phenomena, novel applications, and advances achieved since the publication of the previous edition. The new chapters focus on: filamentation in gases, air, and condensed media; conical emission by four-wave mixing and X-waves; electronic self-phase mechanism; higher harmonics generation; attosecond laser pulses; complex vector beam supercontinuum; higher order self-phase modulation and cross-phase modulation; nonlinear supercontinuum interference in uniaxial crystals; new nonlinear microscopes involving supercontinuum and ultrafast lasers with biomedical applications; and other current supercontinuum applications in communications. The Supercontinuum Laser Source is a definitive work by one of the discoverers of the white light effect. It is indispensable reading for any researcher or student working in the field of ultrafast laser physics. Chapter 6 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book treats essentials from neurophysiology (Hodgkin-Huxley equations, synaptic transmission, prototype networks of neurons) and related mathematical concepts (dimensionality reductions, equilibria, bifurcations, limit cycles and phase plane analysis). This is subsequently applied in a clinical context, focusing on EEG generation, ischaemia, epilepsy and neurostimulation. The book is based on a graduate course taught by clinicians and mathematicians at the Institute of Technical Medicine at the University of Twente. Throughout the text, the author presents examples of neurological disorders in relation to applied mathematics to assist in disclosing various fundamental properties of the clinical reality at hand. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter; answers are included. Basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and familiarity with MATLAB or Python is assumed. Also, students should have some understanding of essentials of (clinical) neurophysiology, although most concepts are summarized in the first chapters. The audience includes advanced undergraduate or graduate students in Biomedical Engineering, Technical Medicine and Biology. Applied mathematicians may find pleasure in learning about the neurophysiology and clinic essentials applications. In addition, clinicians with an interest in dynamics of neural networks may find this book useful, too.

The field of ultrafast nonlinear optics is broad and multidisciplinary, and encompasses areas concerned with both the generation and measurement of ultrashort pulses of light, as well as those concerned with the applications of such pulses. Ultrashort pulses are extreme events - both in terms of their durations, and also the high peak powers which their short durations can facilitate. These extreme properties make them powerful experiment tools. On one hand, their ultrashort durations facilitate the probing and manipulation of matter on incredibly short timescales. On the other, their ultrashort durations can facilitate high peak powers which can drive highly nonlinear light-matter interaction processes. Ultrafast Nonlinear Optics covers a complete range of topics, both applied and fundamental in nature, within the area of ultrafast nonlinear optics. Chapters 1 to 4 are concerned with the generation and measurement of ultrashort pulses. Chapters 5 to 7 are concerned with fundamental applications of ultrashort pulses in metrology and quantum control. Chapters 8 and 9 are concerned with ultrafast nonlinear optics in optical fibres. Chapters 10 to 13 are concerned with the applications of ultrashort pulses in areas such as particle acceleration, microscopy, and micromachining. The chapters are aimed at graduate-student level and are intended to provide the student with an accessible, self-contained and comprehensive gateway into each subject.

Wen-Dan Cheng, Chen-Sheng Lin, Wei-Long Uhang, Hao Zhang: Structural Designs and Property Characterizations for Second-Harmonic Generation Materials.- Fang Kong, Chuan-Fu Sun, Bing-Ping Yang, Jiang-Gao Mao: Second-order Non-linear Optical Materials based on Metal Iodates, Selenites and Tellurites.- Guo-Fu Wang: Structure, growth, nonlinear optics and laser properties of RX3(BO3)4 (R=Y, Gd, La; X=Al, Sc).-

Chaoyang Tu, Zhaojie Zhu, Zhenyu You, Jianfu Li, Yan Wang, Alain Brenier: The Recent Development of Borate SF-conversion Laser Crystal.- Ning Ye: Structure design and crystal growth of UV nonlinear borate materials.- Yi-Zhi Huang, Li-Ming Wu, Mao-Chun Hong: Cation Effect in Doped BBO and Halogen Anion Effect in Pb2B5O9X (X = I, Br, Cl )."

The development and application of low-dimensional semiconductors have been rapid and spectacular during the past decade. Ever improving epitaxial growth and device fabrication techniques have allowed access to some remarkable new physics in quantum confined structures while a plethora of new devices has emerged. The field of optoelectronics in particular has benefited from these advances both in terms of improved performance and the invention of fundamentally new types of device, at a time when the use of optics and lasers in telecommunications, broadcasting, the Internet, signal processing, and computing has been rapidly expanding. An appreciation of the physics of quantum and dynamic electronic processes in confined structures is key to the understanding of many of the latest devices and their continued development. Semiconductor Quantum Optoelectronics covers new physics and the latest device developments in low-dimensional semiconductors. It allows those who already have some familiarity with semiconductor physics and devices to broaden and expand their knowledge into new and expanding topics in low-dimensional semiconductors. The book provides pedagogical coverage of selected areas of new and pertinent physics of low-dimensional structures and presents some optoelectronic devices presently under development. Coverage includes material and band structure issues and the physics of ultrafast, nonlinear, coherent, intersubband, and intracavity phenomena. The book emphasizes various devices, including quantum wells, visible, quantum cascade, and mode-locked lasers; microcavity LEDs and VCSELs; and detectors and logic elements. An underlying theme is high-speed phenomena and devices forincreased system bandwidths.

The growth of Internet traf?c in recent years surpassed the prediction of one decade ago. Data stream in individual countries already reached terabit/s level. To cope with the petabit class demands of traf?c in coming years the communication engineers are required to go beyond the incremental improvement of today's technology. A most promising breakthrough would be the introduction of modulation f- mats enabling higher spectral ef?ciency than that of binary on-off keying scheme, virtually the global standard of ?ber-optic communication systems. In wireless communication systems, techniques of high spectral density modulation have been well developed, but the required techniques in optical frequency domain are much more complicated because of the heavier ?uctuation levels. Therefore the past trials of coherent optical modulation/detection schemes were not successful. However, the addition of high-speed digital signal processing technology is the fundam- tal difference between now and two decades ago, when trials of optical coherent communication systems were investigated very seriously. This approach of digital coherent technology has attracted keen interest among communication specialists, as indicated by the rapid increase in the pioneering presentations at the post-deadline sessions of major international conferences. For example, 32 terabit/s transmission in a ?ber experiment based on this technology was reported in post-deadline session of Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) 2009. The advancement of the digital coherent technologies will inevitably affect the network architecture in terms of the network resource management for the new generation photonic networks, rather than will simply provide with huge transmission capacity.

The contributions for this book have been gathered over several years from conferences held in the series of Mechatronics and Machine Vision in Practice, the latest of which was held in Ankara, Turkey. The essential aspect is that they concern practical applications rather than the derivation of mere theory, though simulations and visualization are important components. The topics range from mining, with its heavy engineering, to the delicate machining of holes in the human skull or robots for surgery on human flesh. Mobile robots continue to be a hot topic, both from the need for navigation and for the task of stabilization of unmanned aerial vehicles. The swinging of a spray rig is damped, while machine vision is used for the control of heating in an asphalt-laying machine. Manipulators are featured, both for general tasks and in the form of grasping fingers. A robot arm is proposed for adding to the mobility scooter of the elderly. Can EEG signals be a means to control a robot? Can face recognition be achieved in varying illumination?"

Light has always played a significant role in the synthesis of materials and formation of small-scale solid structures. The invention of holographic and phase mask projection has enabled engineers to fabricate devices with characteristic features much smaller than the wavelength of the light used for processing. A further reduction of device dimensions has been achieved by implementing the processes that rely strongly on the non-linear effects of light-matter interaction. The intention of this book was to provide the Reader, primarily graduate students and young researchers in materials engineering, bio(chem)physics, medical physics and biophysics, with a set of articles reviewing state-of-the art research and recent advancements in the field of photon-matter interaction for micro/nanomaterials synthesis and manipulation of properties of biological and inorganic materials at the atomic level. Photon-based nanoscience and related technologies have created exciting opportunities for the fabrication and characterization of nano(bio)material devices and systems, and it is expected to significantly contribute to the development of Nanobiophotonics and Nanomedicine.

This book by one of the leaders in adaptive optics covers the fundamental theory and then describes in detail how this technology can be applied to large ground-based telescopes to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence. It includes information on basic adaptive optics components and technology, and has chapters devoted to atmospheric turbulence, optical image structure, laser beacons, and overall system design. The chapter on system design is particularly detailed and includes performance estimation and optimization. Combining a clear discussion of physical principles with numerous real-world examples, this book will be a valuable resource for all graduate students and researchers in astronomy and optics.

"Furnishes table of nonlinear optical properties of organic substances as well as experimental procedures for measuring the nonlinearity of the elements tabulated, including composite materials-offering support for scientists and engineers involved in characterizing, optimizing, and producing materials for manufacturing optical devices."

This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of the basic theory of propagation in planar waveguides and devices. It offers an accessible and thorough self-contained guide to the understanding and solution of theoretical and practical design problems, concentrating on single-mode buried channel devices fabricated in silica-based technologies. Essential analytical and numerical techniques for determining practical waveguide attributes such as mode propagation, cutoff-wavelength, substrate leakage, bend loss, scattering due to surface roughness and fibre splicing optimization are given. The emphasis is on simple descriptions associated with straightforward analytical and numerical quantification, together with tables of parameter values for practical waveguides. Several basic passive devices are covered in detail, including X- and Y-junctions and evanescent single-mode couplers, as well as optimal curved paths for connecting arrays of these devices. Together these design recipes provide a prescription for total device design, including input, output and connecting waveguides. These planar waveguides and devices are key components of both the photonic chip and the hybrid photonic/electronic chip, which will emerge as hardware for incorporation into future optical communications systems within the information superhighway.

"Offers and up-to-date assessment of the entire field of diffraction gratings, including history, physics, manufacture, testing, and instrument design. Furnishes--for the first time in a single-source reference--a thorough review of efficiency behavior, examining echelles as well as concave, binary, transmission, fiber, and waveguide gratings."