This work provides a perspective on the creation of a scientific discipline. The reader is led to meet the actual people who have contributed to this field and know their trials as well as breakthroughs. From 1800 to 1930, Brand preserves the thread of scientific thought and activity through six generations of working scientists.

Laser-Based Optical Detection of Explosives offers a comprehensive review of past, present, and emerging laser-based methods for the detection of a variety of explosives. This book: Considers laser propagation safety and explains standard test material preparation for standoff optical-based detection system evaluation Explores explosives detection using deep ultraviolet native fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging Examines photodissociation followed by laser-induced fluorescence, photothermal methods, cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry, and short-pulse laser-based techniques Describes the detection and recognition of explosives using terahertz-frequency spectroscopic techniques Each chapter is authored by a leading expert on the respective technology, and is structured to supply historical perspective, address current advantages and challenges, and discuss novel research and applications. Readers are left with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of each technology's capabilities and potential for standoff hazard detection.

The book introduces optical wave propagation in the irregular turbulent atmosphere and the relations to laser beam and LIDAR applications for both optical communication and imaging. It examines atmosphere fundamentals, structure, and content. It explains specific situations occurring in the irregular atmosphere and for specific natural phenomena that affect optical ray and laser beam propagation. It emphasizes how to use LIDAR to investigate atmospheric phenomena and predict primary parameters of the irregular turbulent atmosphere and suggests what kinds of optical devices to operate in different atmospheric situations to minimize the deleterious effects of natural atmospheric phenomena.

Discusses the essential principles, operating characteristics, and cur rent technology of the main fiber laser and amplifier devices based on rare-earth-doped silica and fluorozirconate fibers. Describes the pri nciples, designs, and properties of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier a nd its role as the cornerstone component in optical communication syst ems. Second Edition contains more than 75% new or revised materials re flecting major developments in academia and industry.

This practical handbook describes the basic principles and applications of confocal laser scanning microscopy. Information is given on the purpose of, and practical requirements for, the different imaging modes. Guidance is also provided on sample preparation and imaging protocols. The limitations and sensitivity of each method are discussed, imaging applications are illustrated and recent developments in the field are described.

Laser approaches to combustion diagnostics are of considerable interest due to their remote, non-intrusive and in-situ character, unlimited temperature capability, and potential for simultaneous temporal and spatial resolution. This book aims to make these powerful and important new tools in combustion research understandable. Focuses on spectroscopically-based, spatially-precise, laser techniques for temperature and chemical composition measurements in reacting and non-reacting flows. Following introductory chapters on basic spectroscopy, laser physics, experimental methods and practical considerations, treats each of the major techniques in some detail, replete with measurement examples and references. Concludes with a treatment of field methods which employs the various techniques to perform measurements simultaneously over a two-dimensional slice of the medium being probed.

By the end of the 1970s, crystalline lasers were widely used in science, engineering, medicine, and technology. The types of lasers used have continued to grow in number to include newly discovered crystalline hosts, previously known compounds generating at other spectral wavelengths, and broadband tunable stimulated emission. This has led to the creation of an extremely promising new generation of crystalline lasers that are both highly efficient and more reliable. The major part of this book is devoted to describing multilevel operating laser schemes for stimulated emission excitation in insulating crystals doped with lanthanide ions.

The first part of Crystalline Lasers deals with the history of the physics and spectroscopy of insulating laser crystals. The chapters in the second part of the book present results from the study of Stark-energy levels of generating ions in laser crystals and their radiative and nonradiative intermanifold transition characteristics. This section includes extensive tabular data and reference information. Popular and novel operating schemes of crystalline lasers are covered in Part 3.

In the chapters in the fourth part of the book, the newest technologies in the physics and engineering of crystalline lasers are considered. The results of investigations into laser action under selective excitations, miniature crystalline lasers, and the properties of nonlinear activated laser crystals are presented and analyzed.
Crystalline Lasers summarizes and reviews the results of many years of research and studies of activator ions and multilevel operating laser schemes, and discusses exciting prospects of using these systems to create new types of crystalline lasers. This book will be of use to laser scientists and engineers, physicists, and chemical engineers.

X-Ray Lasers 1996 provides not only an overview and progress report on this fast moving field, but also important reference material on which future work can be built. Topics covered include collisional x-ray lasers, table-top x-ray lasers, beam optics, x-ray optics, OFI and photo-pumped schemes, capillary schemes, international laser facilities, XUV nonlinear mixing, alternative soft x-ray sources, diagnostics, and applications. The volume is an essential addition to the libraries of researchers in the field.

This volume considers optical parametric generation and amplification (OPG/OPA), as a means for producing a tunable optical parametric device. It reviews the OPA/OPG systems using various crystals pumped by lasers at various frequencies with pulse duration ranging from picoseconds to femtoseconds. Part two covers the theoretical background for design of an OPA/OPG system, using two newly discovered nonlinear crystals. Experimental design considerations are discussed in section three, including the section of nonlinear crystals, pumping sources and optical configurations. In section four, the experimental results obtained are compared with the theoretical calculations.

The fiber laser, with its humble beginning in the late 1980s, has undergone tremendous development in the past decade or so, transforming itself from a research curiosity to a major force in modern manufacturing. Today, it is revolutionizing our economy by fundamentally changing the way we mark, machine, and process materials on an industrial scale. The recent development of high-power fiber lasers is also fundamentally shaping a wide range of other areas from physical sciences and medicine to geology and space exploration. In the past few years, the tactical deployment of direct energy weapons based on fiber lasers has become a reality. The development of fiber lasers is rooted in a number of technical areas including optical materials, optical waveguide design, nonlinear optics, optical fiber fabrication, and optical characterization, in addition to optical fiber components, and fiber laser design and architecture. No comprehensive in-depth coverage of such diverse topical areas has appeared in a single book. Many important developments have taken place in the past decade in both academia and industry. This book comprehensively covers the basics, technology and applications of fiber lasers including up-to-date developments in both academia and industry and is aimed to serve as both an introduction and research aid for graduate students, engineers, and scientists who are new to this field and also for veterans in the field

Professor Yurii A. Anan'ev has a long-standing international reputation for his publications on optical beams and resonators. Now many of his contributions will be readily available for the first time in a book. The generation of maximum power, minimum divergence beams from laser resonators is probably the most important topic in quantum electronics and optics today. The only book of its kind, Laser Resonators and the Beam Divergence Problem covers not only the theory, but also the applications of resonators to real systems as opposed to idealized models. Each rigorous examination of an optical configuration is accompanied by a detailed discussion of its associated applications and of the considerations for the user in practical work. The book contains a wealth of information on the developments in resonator technology, including much material previously unavailable outside the Soviet Union. It is an essential reference source to every researcher in laser science and technology.

Testing and Measurement: Techniques and Applications is divided into 6 sections: Microwave, Ultrasonic and Acoustic Measurement and Application; Material Performance and Measuring and Testing Technique; Laser, Optics Fiber and Sensor; Industrial Autoimmunization and Measurement; Artificial Intelligence and Application; and Image, Signal and Information Processing, and presents a broad and deep understanding of recent achievements and future trends of testing and measuring technology.

The first book devoted to laser techniques in the generation and reception of ultrasonic waves in materials, Laser Ultrasonics: Techniques and Applications provides a full description of the state of the art in all fields involving both lasers and ultrasonics. This practical book focuses mainly on the possible applications of the techniques, yet theory is discussed wherever necessary. After an introduction to ultrasonics and laser technology, the book reviews acousto-optics, various acousto-optic devices, and noninterferometric optical methods of measuring ultrasonic displacements. The authors then describe opto-acoustic techniques, discussing laser interferometry, including reference-beam, velocity, and Fabry-Perot systems, and their application to ultrasonic measurement on different surfaces. The authors also detail the generation of ultrasound as a consequence of the absorption of laser light in material. The book proceeds to discuss applications of laser-generated ultrasound, both by itself and in combination with laser interferometric reception to form an entirely remote and non-contact measurement and testing system. Comparisons with nonoptical techniques for ultrasonic generation and detection are made where appropriate. The book concludes with a discussion of the future developments and uses of laser techniques in ultrasonics, with particular reference to nondestructive testing.

Contains the latest revision of ANSI standards for safe use of lasers. A workbench guide that explains how a laser works, what a laser beam can do to biological tissue and eyewear lenses, and how to work safely with lasers. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

This book discusses the physics of plasma initiation and reviews the features of dissipating, propagating plasmas. It deals with advances in diagnostics for high-energy, laser-fusion plasmas. The book reviews the basic physical processes, plasma characteristics of the "continuous optical discharge".

This book provides an introduction on applications of lasers in Chemistry. It describes laser as a tool for chemistry, the consideration involved in describing a laser beam and what happens to beam as it is propagated through a gas. The book is useful for graduates and advanced undergraduates.

This book covers laser topics that have been a part of the rapid expansion of optical engineering, including emission spectra of molecular lasers, CO2 transversely excited atmospheric-pressure lasers, and radiofrequency discharge excited CO2 lasers.

Written in an easy-to-read style, this comprehensive guide examines the currentknowledge on opto-mechanical laser beam scanning technology.Combining theoretical and practical aspects, Laser Beam Scanning discusses theapplications, performance, and design of holographic, polygonal, galvanometric, andresonant scanning systems.Bringing together the expertise of leading international authorities, this invaluable sourceprovides unique coverage on gas bearings for rotating scanning devices and windageassociated with polygonal scanners. This work also includes authoritative information onGaussian beam diameters and optical design of components and systems relating tooptical disk data storage.Containing time-saving chapter introductions and summaries, numerous illustrations andtables, useful definitions, and up-to-date references, this handy, on-the-job reference aidsoptical engineers and designers, electronic, electrical, and laser engineers; physicists; andgraduate-level students in optical engineering courses to apply laser beam scanning tonew designs successfully.

Broadly tunable lasers have had, and continue to have, an enormous impact in many and diverse fields of science and technology. From a renaissance in spectroscopy to laser guide stars and laser cooling, the nexus is the tunable laser. Tunable Laser Optics offers a transparent and comprehensive treatment of the physics of tunable laser optics based on a detailed description of first principles. Authored by a leading expert in the field, the book covers the optics and optical principles needed to build lasers, the optics instrumentation necessary to characterize laser emission, and laser-based optical instrumentation, addressing key topics such as Dirac's notation, the interferometric equation, the uncertainty principle, pulse compression, and tunable narrow-linewidth lasers. This revised, expanded, and improved Second Edition: Contains new and additional material on tunable lasers and quantum optics Explains the first principles of tunable laser optics in a clear and concise manner Presents an explicit exposition of the relevant theory, without the use of short cuts Employs numerous examples, case studies, and figures to illustrate important concepts Includes carefully designed problems of direct practical significance to stimulate application Emphasizing the utilitarian aspects of the optics and theory, Tunable Laser Optics, Second Edition provides valuable insight into the optics and the trade-offs involved in the design and construction of tunable lasers and optical devices. It makes an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate-level and graduate-level optics courses for physics and engineering students, as well as a handy reference for researchers and experimentalists.

Dedicated to users and developers of high-powered systems, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials focuses on the research field of laser-induced damage and explores the significant and steady growth of applications for high-power lasers in the academic, industrial, and military arenas. Written by renowned experts in the field, this book concentrates on the major topics of laser-induced damage in optical materials and most specifically addresses research in laser damage that occurs in the bulk and on the surface or the coating of optical components. It considers key issues in the field of high-power laser coatings, factoring in the effects of contamination and providing insight into typical application areas. Become Familiar with the Key Areas of Modern Photonics The text first provides a basic understanding of theoretical and experimental methods and then summarizes the current progress, strategies, and improvements occurring within the field of laser-induced damage. Divided into four sections, this book outlines apparent trends in modeling, and discusses measurement and evaluation techniques for laser damage thresholds in the context of international standardization and scaling laws for damage thresholds. This seminal work: Covers the major aspects of laser damage Considers all important aspects in industry and research Reviews laser damage effects in material and surfaces Contains chapters contributed by leading scientists in the field Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials details a variety of fundamental investigations in laser-induced damage mechanisms and functions as a valuable reference for researchers and producers of laser components, laser and photonics engineers and scientists, as well as users of laser technology and thin film optics.

"This is very unique and promises to be an extremely useful guide to a host of workers in the field. They have given a generalized presentation likely to cover most if not all situations to be encountered in the laboratory, yet also highlight several specific examples that clearly illustrate the methods. They have provided an admirable contribution to the community. If someone makes their living by designing lasers, optical parametric oscillators or other devices employing nonlinear crystals, or designing experiments incorporating laser beam propagation through linear or nonlinear media, then this book will be a welcome addition to their bookshelf."
Richard Sutherland, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Ohio, USA

Laser Beam Propagation in Nonlinear Optical Media provides a collection of expressions, equations, formulas, and derivations used in calculating laser beam propagation through linear and nonlinear media which are useful for predicting experimental results.

The authors address light propagation in anisotropic media, oscillation directions of the electric field and displacement vectors, the walk-off angles between the Poynting and propagation vectors, and effective values of the d coefficient for biaxial, uniaxial, and isotropic crystals.

They delve into solutions of the coupled three wave mixing equations for various nonlinear optical processes, including quasi-phase matching and optical parametric oscillation, and discuss focusing effects and numerical techniques used for beam propagation analysis in nonlinear media, and phase retrieval technique. The book also includes examples of MATLAB and FORTRAN computer programs for numerical evaluations.

An ideal resource for students taking graduate level courses in nonlinear optics, Laser Beam Propagation in Nonlinear Optical Media can also be used as a reference for practicing professionals.

Foreword by Nobel laureate Professor Theodor W. Hansch of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen

Based on the authors experimental work over the last 25 years, Laser-Based Measurements for Time and Frequency Domain Applications: A Handbook presents basic concepts, state-of-the-art applications, and future trends in optical, atomic, and molecular physics. It provides all the background information on the main kinds of laser sources and techniques, offers a detailed account of the most recent results obtained for time- and frequency-domain applications of lasers, and develops the theoretical framework necessary for understanding the experimental applications.

After a historical introduction, the book describes the basic concepts and mathematical tools required for studying the physics of oscillators. It then discusses microwave and optical resonators, crucial aspects of operation and fundamental properties of lasers, and precision spectroscopy and absolute frequency metrology. It also focuses on microwave and optical frequency standards and explores current and potential research directions.

Accessible to scientists, postdoc researchers, and advanced undergraduate students, this self-contained book gives a wide-ranging, balanced overview of the areas including frequency standards and clocks, ultra-high-precision spectroscopy, quantum information, and environmental metrology revolutionized by the recent advent of optical frequency comb synthesizers (OFCSs) based on femtosecond mode-locked lasers. The book is also a useful guide to cutting-edge research for manufacturers of advanced laser systems and optical devices."

The collection of articles in this book offers a penetrating shaft into the still burgeoning subject of light propagation and localization in photonic crystals and disordered media. While the subject has its origins in physics, it has broad significance and applicability in disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and medicine. Unlike other branches of physics, where the phenomena under consideration require extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, energy, or isolation from competing effects, the phenomena related to light localization survive under the most ordinary of conditions. This provides the science described in this book with broad applicability and vitality. However, the greatest challenge to the further development of this field is in the reliable and inexpensive synthesis of materials of the required composition, architecture and length scale, where the proper balance between order and disorder is realized.
Similar challenges have been faced and overcome in fields such as semiconductor science and technology. The challenge of photonic crystal synthesis has inspired a variety of novel fabrication protocols such as self-assembly and optical interference lithography that offer much less expensive approaches than conventional semiconductor microlithography.
Once these challenges are fully met, it is likely that light propagation and localization in photonic microstructures will be at the heart of a 21st-century revolution in science and technology.
From the Introduction, Sajeev John, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

One of the first books specifically focused on disorder in photonic structures, Optical Properties of Photonic Structures: Interplay of Order and Disorder explores how both order and disorder provide the key to the different regimes of light transport and to the systematic localization and trapping of light. Collecting contributions from leaders of research activity in the field, the book covers many important directions, methods, and approaches. It describes various one-, two-, and three-dimensional structures, including opals, aperiodic Fibonacci-type photonic structures, photonic amorphous structures, photonic glasses, Levy glasses, and hypersonic, magnetophotonic, and plasmonic photonic crystals with nanocavities, quantum dots, and lasing action. The book also addresses practical applications in areas such as optical communications, optical computing, laser surgery, and energy. "

Tighter regulations of harmful substances such as NOx, CO, heavy metals, particles, emissions from commercial plants and automobiles reflect a growing demand for lowering the anthropogenic burdens on the environment. It is equally important to monitor controlling factors to improve the operation of industrial machinery and plants. Among the many methods for doing this, laser diagnostics stands out. Taking a practical approach, Industrial Applications of Laser Diagnostics discusses how to apply laser diagnostics to engines, gas turbines, thermal and chemical plant systems, and disposal facilities. It also briefly discusses their growing application in biochemical fields.

The book introduces the guidelines for industrial applications of laser diagnostics, briefly describes the main components of laser diagnostics systems, and summarizes application codes of laser diagnostics to industrial systems. The author them discusses laser induced fluorescence, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, spontaneous Raman spectroscopy and CARS, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, and time of flight mass spectroscopy. He provides theoretical explanations and complex equations, which are usually main inhibitors, in appendices or indicates them with citations.

Although the diagnostics have been well documented in the scientific literature, and the techniques in journals, the applications have not. And usually these books are comprehensible only to those in this field, not researchers from other fields or from industry. Until now. Incorporating a plethora of real life industrial examples and applications, this text underscores the real potential for these techniques in industrial applications.

A comprehensive presentation of the theory and simulation of optical waveguides and wave propagations in a guided environment, Guided Wave Photonics: Fundamentals and Applications with MATLAB(r) supplies fundamental and advanced understanding of integrated optical devices that are currently employed in modern optical fiber communications systems and photonic signal processing systems. While there are many texts available in this area, none provide the breadth and depth of coverage and computational rigor found in this one.

The author has distilled the information into a very practical, usable format. In a logical progression of theory and application, he starts with Maxwell's equations and progresses directly to optical waveguides (integrated optic and fiber optic), couplers, modulators, nonlinear effects and interactions, and system applications. With up-to-date coverage of applicable algorithms, design guides, material systems, and the latest device and system applications, the book addresses:

• Fundamentals of guiding optical waves, including theoretical and simplified techniques
• Linear and nonlinear aspects of optical waveguiding
• Manipulating lightwaves by coupling and splitting
• Interactions of lightwaves and ultra-fast electrical travelling waves in modern optical modulators
• Applications of guided wave devices in optical communication systems and optical signal processing

Providing fundamental understanding of lightwave guiding and manipulating techniques, the text covers the field of integrated photonics by giving the principles, theoretical and applications. It explains how to solve the optical modes and their coupling as well as how to manipulate lightwaves for applications in communications and signal processing.