This textbook is based on a course given by the first-named author to third and fourth year undergraduate students from physics, engineering physics and electrical engineering. The purpose is to introduce and explain some of the fundamental principles underlying laser beam control in optoelectronics, especially those in relation to optical anisotropy which is at the heart of many optical devices. The book attempts to give the reader the background knowledge needed to work in a laser, optoelectronic or photonic environment, and to manage and handle laser beam equipment with ease.In this edition, recent research results on modern technologies and instruments relevant to laser optoelectronics have been added to each chapter. New material include: chirped pulse amplification for petawatt lasers; optical anisotropy; physical explanations for group velocity dispersion, group delay dispersion, and third order dispersion; an introduction of different types of laser systems; and both optical isotropy and anisotropy in different types of harmonic generation.Theories based upon mode-locking and chirped pulse amplifications have become increasingly more important. It is thus necessary that students learn all these in a course devoted to laser optoelectronics. As such, Chapter 12 is now devoted to mode-locking and carrier-envelope phase locking. A new chapter, Chapter 13, which focuses on chirped pulse amplification has also been added.

Session 1 Elementary Excitations and Excitation Transport.- Picosecond Resolved Optically Driven Phonon Dynamics.- Relaxation and Propagation of High Frequency Phonons in Thin Crystalline Plates After Intense Laser Pumping.- Evolution in Real Time and Space of Short Polariton Pulses in Crystals.- Quasielastic Electronic Light Scattering in Semiconductors at Low Concentrations of Current Carriers.- Condensed Matter Science With Far Infra Red Free Electron Lasers (Abstract).- Nonequilibrium Terahertz Range Acoustic Phonons and Luminescence of Excitons in Semiconductors.- Session II Optical Properties of Surfaces and Interfaces.- Nonlinear Optical Studies of Molecular Adsorbates.- Enhancement of Exciton Transition Probabilities in Ultrathin Films of Cadmium Telluride.- Studies of Semiconductor Surfaces and Interfaces by Three Wave Mixing Spectroscopy (Abstract).- Time-Resolved Resonant Reflection of Light.- Femtosecond Photoemission Studies of Image Potential and Electron Dynamics in Metals.- High Intensity, Ultrashort Pulse Laser Heated Solids.- Session III Optical Studies of Growth, Instabilities and Pattern Formation.- Control of Transversal Interactions in Nonlinear Optics: New Spatio-Temporal Effects in Nonlinear Wave Dynamics (Abstract).- Synchronization of Atomic Quantum Transitions by Light Pulses.- Chaos in Nonlinear Optics.- Self-Organizaiton and Spatio-Temporal Chaos in Phase-Locked Semiconductor Laser Arrays (Abstract).- Competitive and Cooperative Dynamics in Optical Neural Networks (Abstract).- Transitions Between Ordered and Disordered Solid-Melt Patterns Formed on Silicon by Continuous Laser Beams: Competition Between Electrodynamics and Thermodynamics.- Session IV Elementary Excitations and Excitation Transport.- Light Scattering in Oxide Superconductors.- Raman Scattering in High-Tc Superconductors YBa2Cu3Ox With Different Oxygen Contents.- Raman Scattering from High Temperature Superconductors.- Decay of Exciton Gratings in Anthracene: Anisotropy of Lowest Exciton Bands and Coexistence of Longpath and Shortpath Waveguide Modes.- Excitation Transport in Polymeric Solids.- Vibron Lifetimes in Molecular Crystals.- Session V Optical Properties of Critical Phenomena Random Systems, and Coherent Phenomena.- Anomalies of the Elastic Light Scattering at Phase Transitions in Crystals with Point Defects.- Dynamical Fluctuations in a Dipolar Glass.- Localization of Light in Random Media (Abstract).- Quantum Optic and Transient Effects of Excitonic Polaritons, and Properties of Phonoritons.- Nonclassical Field Correlations in Quantum Optics (Abstract).- Phase-Conjugated Wave Enhanced by Weak Localization of Exciton-Polaritons.- Session VI Nonlinear Optical Properties of Semiconductors Organics and Fibers.- The Historical Relationship Between Nonlinear Optics and Condensed Matter (Abstract).- Optical Nonlinearities Enhanced by Carrier Transport.- Organic Nonlinear Optical Materials and Devices for Optoelectronics (Abstract).- Nonlinear Optical Susceptibilities of Surface Layers of Metals and Super- and Semiconductors Related to Electronic Structure and Crystal Symmetry.- Second Harmonic Generation in Optical Fibers.- Nonlinear Optical Probes of Glassy Polymers.- Session VII Quantum Wells.- Photoluminescence of Hot Electrons and Scattering Processes in Quantum-Well Structures.- High Resolution Nonlinear Laser Spectroscopy Measurements of Exciton Dynamics in GaAs Quantum Well Structures.- Optical Spectroscopy in the Regime of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect.- Geminate Recombination in MQW Structures in a Magnetic Field.- Investigation of Two-Electron-Hole Pair Resonances in Semiconductor Quantum Dots.- Many Body Effects in Homogeneous Quasi 2D Electron-Hole Plasma in Undoped and Modulation Doped InGaAs Single Quantum Wells.- Session VIII Recent Significant Developments.- Pulsed Diffusing-Wave Spectroscopy in Dense Colloids.- Waves on Corrugated Surfaces: K-Gaps and Enhanced Backscattering.- Black Hole Radiation: Can Vir...

Starting from fundamentals and moving through a thorough discussion of equipment, methods, and techniques, the Handbook of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy provides a unique reference source that will be of value for many years to come for this important new analysis method. The authors, with a total of over 60 years of experience in the LIBS method, use a combination of tutorial discussions ranging from basic principles up to more advanced descriptions along with extensive figures and photographs to clearly explain topics addressed in the text. In this second edition, chapters on the use of statistical analysis and advances in detection of weapons of mass destruction have been added. Tables of data related to analysis with LIBS have been updated. The Handbook of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Second Edition: * provides a thorough but understandable discussion of the basic principles of the method based on atomic emission spectroscopy, including recently available data leading to better characterization of the LIBS plasma; * presents a discussion of the many advantages of the method along with limitations, to provide the reader a balanced overview of capabilities of the method; * describes LIBS instrumentation ranging from basic set-ups to more advanced configurations; * presents a comprehensive discussion of the different types of components (laser, spectrometers, detectors) that can be used for LIBS apparatuses along with suggestions for their use, as well as an up-to-date treatment of the newest advances and capabilities of LIBS instruments; * presents the analytical capabilities of the method in terms of detection limits, accuracy, and precision of measurements for a variety of different sample types; * discusses methods of sampling different media such as gases, liquids, and solids; * presents an overview of some real-world applications of the method, with new emphasis on sampling of biologically and physically dangerous materials; * provides an up-to-date list of references to LIBS literature along with the latest detection limits and a unique list of element detection limits using a uniform analysis method; * provides annotated examples of LIBS spectra which can serve as references for the general reader and will be especially useful for those starting out in the field.

This book is the result of two decades of research work which started with an accidental observation. One of my students, Dipl. phys. Volkmar Lenz, - ticed that the speckle pattern of laser light scattered by a cuvette containing diluted milk performed a strange motion every time he came near the cuvette with his thumb. After thinkingabout this e?ect we came to the conclusion that this motion can only be caused by scatteringparticles with di?erent velocities, as in the case of the di?raction pattern of an optical grating: A linear motion of the grating does not change the pattern whereas a rotation of the grating does. The observed speckle motion could then be explained qualitatively as produced by the inhomogeneous velocity of the convection within the cuvette which was produced by the heat of the thumb. The theoretical treatment of this e?ect revealed that the velocity gradient of the light scattering medium is responsible for the speckle motion. The idea to use this e?ect for developingmeasurement techniques for velocity gradients arose almost immediately. For that purpose we had to develop not only experimental set-ups to measure the pattern velocity but also the theory which describes the connection between this velocity and the velocity gradient. The result of this work together with the description of a method developed by another group forms the contents of this book. I am indebted to the students who worked in my laboratory and developed the measurement techniques. These were, in temporal order, Dr.

This book presents posits a solution to the current limitations in global connectivity by introducing a global laser/optical communication system using constellation satellites, UAVs, HAPs and Balloons. The author outlines how this will help to satisfy the tremendous increasing demand for data exchange and information between end-users worldwide including in remote locations. The book provides both fundamentals and the advanced technology development in establishing worldwide communication and global connectivity using, (I) All-Optical technology, and (ii) Laser/Optical Communication Constellation Satellites (of different types, sizes and at different orbits), UAVs, HAPs (High Altitude Platforms) and Balloons. The book discusses step-by-step methods to develop a satellite backbone in order to interconnect a number of ground nodes clustered within a few SD-WAN (software-defined networking) in a wide area network (WAN) around the world in order to provide a fully-meshed communication network. This book pertains to anyone in optical communications, telecommunications, and system engineers, as well as technical managers in the aerospace industry and the graduate students, and researchers in academia and research laboratory. Proposed a solution to the limitations in global connectivity through a global laser/optical communication system using constellation satellites, UAVs, HAPs and Balloons; Provides both fundamentals and the advanced technology development in establishing global communication connectivity using optical technology and communication constellation satellites; Includes in-depth coverage of the basics of laser/optical communication constellation satellites.

The Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Opto-Electronics and Applied Optics, OPTRONIX 2016 is an effort to promote and present the research works by scientists and researchers including students in India and abroad in the area of Green Photonics and other related areas as well as to raise awareness about the recent trends of research and development in the area of the related fields. The book has been organized in such a way that it will be easier for the readers to go through and find out the topic of their interests. The first part includes the Keynote addresses by Rajesh Gupta, Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; P.T. Ajith Kumar, President and Leading Scientist Light Logics Holography and Optics, Crescent Hill, Trivandrum, Kerala; and K.K. Ghosh, Institute of Engineering & Management, Kolkata, India. The second part focuses on the Plenary and Invited Talks given by eminent scientists namely, Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, University of Waterloo, Canada; Motoharu Fujigaki, University of Fukuii, Japan; Takeo Sasaki, Tokyo University of Science, Japan; Kehar Singh, Former Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India; Rajpal S. Sirohi, Tezpur University, India; Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty, Institute of Engineering & Management, India; Lakshminarayan Hazra, Emeritus Professor, Calcutta University, India; S.K. Bhadra, Emeritus Scientist, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, India; Partha Roy Chaudhuri, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India; Navin Nishchal, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, India; Tarun Kumar Gangopadhyay, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, India; Samudra Roy, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India; Kamakhya Ghatak, University of Engineering & Management, India. The subsequent parts focus on contributory papers in : Green Photonics; Fibre and Integrated Optics; Lasers, Interferometry; Optical Communication and Networks; Optical and Digital Data and Image Processing; Opto-Electronic Devices, Terahertz Technology; Nano-Photonics, Bio-Photonics, Bio-Medical Optics; Lasers, Quantum Optics and Information Technology; E. M. Radiation Theory and Antenna; Cryptography; Quantum and Non-Linear Optics, Opto-Electronic Devices; Non-Linear Waveguides; Micro-Electronics and VLSI; Interdisciplinary.

Laser Processing and Chemistry gives an overview of the fundamentals and applications of laser-matter interactions, in particular with regard to laser material processing. Special attention is given to laser-induced physical and chemical processes at gas-solid, liquid-solid, and solid-solid interfaces. Starting with the background physics, the book proceeds to examine applications of laser techniques in micro-machining, and the patterning, coating, and modification of material surfaces. Thisfourth edition has been revised and enlarged to cover new topics such as 3D microfabrication, advances in nanotechnology, ultrafast laser technology and laser chemical processing (LCP).
Graduate students, physicists, chemists, engineers, and manufacturers alike will find this book an invaluable reference work on laser processing.

Recent advances in semiconductor technology have made it possible to fabricate microcavity structures in which both photon fields and electron-hole pairs (or excitons) are confined in a small volume comparable to their wavelength. The radiative properties of the electron-hole pairs and excitons are modified owing to the drastic change in the structure of the electromagnetic-field modes. This book is the first to give a comprehensive account of the theory of semiconductor cavity quantum electrodynamics for such systems in the weak-coupling and strong-coupling regimes. The important concepts are presented, together with relevant, recent experimental results.

1.1 Digital Optics as a Subject Improvement of the quality of optical devices has always been the central task of experimental optics. In modern terms, improvements in sensitivity and resolution have equated higher quality with greater informational throughput. For most of today's applications, optics and electronics have, in essence, solved the problem of generating high quality pictures with great informational ca pacity. Effective use of the enormous amount of information contained in the images necessitates processing pictures, holograms, and interferograms. The manner in which information might be extracted from optical entities has be come a topic of current interest. The informational aspects of optical signals and systems might serve as a basis for attacking this question by making use of information theory and signal communication theory, and by enlisting modern tools and methods for data processing (the most important and powerful of which are those of digi tal computation). Exploiting modern advances in electronics has allowed new wavelength ranges and new kinds of radiation to be used in optics. Comput ers have extended our knowledge of the informational essence of radiation. Thus, computerized optical devices enhance not only the optical capabilities of sight, but also its analytical capabilities as well, thus opening qualitatively new horizons to all the areas in which optical devices have found application."

MXene, a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbide, nitride, and carbonitride, was discovered in 2011. MXene has great potential as a cocatalyst in the field of photocatalysis due to its unique properties and structure. MXene-Based Photocatalysts: Fabrication and Applications introduces readers to the fundamentals, preparation, microstructure characterization, and a variety of applications of MXene-based photocatalysts. The book is a comprehensive reference for MXene materials and provides an overview of the current literature on MXene-based photocatalysts. FEATURES Discusses preparation methods of MXenes Describes the morphology and microstructure of MXenes Offers strategies for fabricating MXene-based photocatalysts Details the reaction mechanism of MXene-based photocatalysts Covers applications in photocatalytic water-splitting, photocatalytic CO2 reduction, photocatalytic degradation, photocatalytic nitrogen fixation, and photocatalytic H2O2 production This book serves as an invaluable guide for advanced students, industry professionals, professors, and researchers in the field of materials science and engineering, photocatalysis, energy, and environmental applications.

This book contains contributions written by the world-leading scientists in high-resolution laser spectroscopy, quantum optics and laser physics. Emphasis is placed on precision related to results in a variety of fields, such as atomic clocks, frequency standards, and the measurement of physical constants in atomic physics. Furthermore, illustrations and engineering applications of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics are widely covered. It has contributions by Nobel prize winners Norman F. Ramsey and Steven Chu, and is dedicated to Theodor W. Hänsch on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

The quantum statistical properties of the light wave generated in a semiconductor laser or a light-emitting diode (LED) has been a field of intense research for more than a decade. This research monograph discusses recent research activities in nonclassical light generation based on semiconductor devices. This volume is composed of four major parts. The first discusses the generation of sub-shot-noise light in macroscopic pn junction light-emitting devices, including semiconductor laser and light-emitting diodes. The second part discusses the application of squeezed light in high-precision measurement, including spectroscopy and interferometry. The third part addresses the Coulomb blockade effect in a mesoscopic pn junction and the generation of single photon states. The last part covers the detection of single photons using a visible light photon counter.

This book covers the physics, technology and applications of short pulse laser sources that generate pulses with durations of only a few optical cycles. The basic design considerations for the different systems such as lasers, parametric amplifiers and external compression techniques which have emerged over the last decade are discussed to give researchers and graduate students a thorough introduction to this field. The existence of these sources has opened many new fields of research that were not possible before. These are UV and EUV generation from table-top systems using high-harmonic generation, frequency metrology enabling optical frequency counting, high-resolution optical coherence tomography, strong-field ultrafast solid-state processes and ultrafast spectroscopy, to mention only a few. Many new applications will follow. The book attempts to give a comprehensive, while not excessive, introduction to this exciting new field that serves both experienced researchers and graduate students entering the field.

The first half of the book covers the current physical principles, processes and design guidelines to generate pulses in the optical range comprising only a few cycles of light. Such as the generation of relatively low energy pulses at high repetition rates directly from the laser, parametric generation of medium energy pulses and high-energy pulses at low repetition rates using external compression in hollow fibers. The applications cover the revolution in frequency metrology and high-resolution laser spectroscopy to electric field synthesis in the optical range as well as the emerging field of high-harmonic generation and attosecond science, high-resolution optical imaging and novel ultrafast dynamics in semiconductors. These fields benefit from the strong electric fields accompanying these pulses in solids and gases during events comprising only a few cycles of light.

This is the first detailed description in English of radiation and polymeric material interaction and the influences of thermal and optical material properties. As such, it provides comprehensive information on material and process characteristics as well as applications regarding plastic laser welding.
The first part of this practical book introduces the structure and physical properties of plastics, before discussing the interaction of material and radiation in the NIR and IR spectral range. This is followed by an overview of the physical foundations of laser radiation and laser sources used for plastic welding. The third part describes the main processes of laser welding thermoplastics, as well as possibilities of process control, design of joint geometry, material compatibilities and adaptation of absorption of plastics to NIR radiation. Finally, the author explains applications of laser welding plastics using several industrial case studies from the automotive industry, household goods, and medical devices.
Tailored to the needs of everyone dealing with laser welding of plastics, especially engineers in packaging, component manufacturing, and the medical industry.

The 9th International Workshop on "Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena" was held November 6-10, 1989, at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Cal ifornia. Starting in 1969, thi s represents a continuation of the longest series of meetings in this field in the United States. It is, in fact, the longest series anywhere with published Proceedings that document the advances and the growth of this dynamic field of physics and technology. Following the discovery of the laser in 1960, the study of processes involved in laser beam interactions with materials opened a basically new dimension of physics. The energy densities and intensities generated are many orders of magnitude beyond those previously observed in laboratories. Simultaneously, the temporal dynamics of this interaction covers a broad range, only recently reaching ultra short times, of the order of a few femtoseconds. Applications of this technology are of interest for many types of material treatments. Further, from the very beginning, a key ambitious goal has been to produce fusion energy by intense laser irradiation of a target containi ng appropriate fusion fuels. The vari ous phenomena discovered during the ensuing research on laser-fusion are, indeed, much more complex than originally expected. However, in view of recent advances in physics understanding, a route to successful laser fusion can be seen. The development of fusion energy received a very strong stimulation since the last workshop due to the now partially publicized results of underground nuclear explosions.

Lasers are relatively recent additions to the analytical scientist's arsenal. Because of this, many analysts-whether their concern is research or some range of applications-are in need of a tutorial introduction not only to the principles of lasers, their optics, and radiation, but also to their already diverse and burgeoning applications. The artic1es presented in this volume, carefully enhanced and edited from lectures prepared for the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry 1979 Summer Symposium, are designed to provide just such a broad introduction to the subject. Thus, in addition to several excellent chapters on laser fundamentals, there are many practically oriented artic1es dealing with laser analytical methodology, inc1uding techniques based on the absorption oflaser radiation, on laser-induced fluorescence, and on some of the uses of lasers in chemical instru mentation. The first of these sections is pivotal and reflects in part our philosophy in organizing this collection. The authors of the initial chapters were invited not only because of their expertise in the field of lasers and analytical chemistry, but also because their didactic approach to writing and their c1arity of presentation were well known to us. It is our hope that individual readers with little knowledge of lasers will gain from these introductory chapters sufficient information to render the later, more detailed artic1es both useful and meaningful."

The editors have drawn together an exceptional group of internationally known Japanese authorities to prepare the most comprehensive and detailed source of information available on this exciting area of optoelectronics. The book covers the entire area of optoelectronics, going from the theoretical background to advanced devices, materials processing details and specific applications from the standpoints of device physics and engineering.

Lasers are now recognized as practical alternatives to conventional techniques for many industrial applications. After reviewing the basic theory the book provides an insight into equipment technology and applications.

Random lasers are the simplest sources of stimulated emission without cavity, with the feedback provided by scattering in a gain medium. First proposed in the late 1960s, random lasers have grown to a large research field. This book reviews the history and the state of the art of random lasers, provides an outline of the basic models describing their behavior, and describes the recent advances in the field. The major focus of the book is on solid-state random lasers. However, it also briefly describes random lasers based on liquid dyes with scatterers. The chapters of the book are almost independent of each other. So, the scientists or engineers interested in any particular aspect of random lasers can read directly the relevant section. Researchers entering the field of random lasers will find in the book an overview of the field of study. Scientists working in the field can use the book as a reference source.

The recent developement of high power lasers, delivering femtosecond pulses of 20 2 intensities up to 10 W/cm , has led to the discovery of new phenomena in laser interactions with matter. At these enormous laser intensities, atoms, and molecules are exposed to extreme conditions and new phenomena occur, such as the very rapid multi photon ionization of atomic systems, the emission by these systems of very high order harmonics of the exciting laser light, the Coulomb explosion of molecules, and the acceleration of electrons close to the velocity of light. These phenomena generate new behaviour of bulk matter in intense laser fields, with great potential for wide ranging applications which include the study of ultra-fast processes, the development of high-frequency lasers, and the investigation of the properties of plasmas and condensed matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In particular, the concept of the "fast ignitor" approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has been proposed, which is based on the separation of the compression and the ignition phases in laser-driven ICF. The aim of this course on "Atom, Solids and Plasmas in Super-Intense Laser fields" was to bring together senior researchers and students in atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, condensed matter and plasma physics, in order to review recent developments in high-intensity laser-matter interactions. The course was held at the Ettore Majorana International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice from July 8 to July 14,2000.

This volume contains papers presented at the 6th International Workshop on Application of Lasers in Atomic Nuclei Research, LASER 2006, held in Poznan, Poland, May 29-June 01, 2006. Researchers and PhD students interested in recent results in the nuclear structure investigation by laser spectroscopy, the progress of the experimental technique and the future developments in the field will find this volume indispensable.

This volume contains the proceedings of the first NATO Science Forum "Highlights of the Eighties and Future Prospects in Condensed Matter Physics" (sponsored by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division), which took place in September, 1990, in the pleasant surroundings provided by the Hotel du Palais at Biarritz, France. One hundred distinguished physicists from seventeen countries, including six Nobellaureates, were invited to participate in the four and a half day meeting. Focusing on three evolving frontiers: semiconductor quantum structures, including the subject of the quantumHall effect (QHE), high temperature superconductivity (HiTc) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), the Forum provided an opportunity to evaluate, in depth, each of the frontiers, by reviewing the progress made during the last few years and, more importantly, exploring their implications for the future. Though serious scientists are not "prophets," all of the participants showed a strong interest in this unique format and addressed the questions of future prospects, either by extrapolating from what has been known, or by a stretch of their "educated" imagination.

This handbook provides an insight into the advancements in surface engineering methods, addressing the microstructural features, properties, mechanisms of surface degradation failures, and tribological performance of the components. Emphasis is on laser cladding methods because by using laser cladding a new class of materials like nano-composites, nano-tubes, and smart materials can be easily deposited. Handbook of Laser-Based Sustainable Surface Modification and Manufacturing Techniques discusses the main mechanism behind the surface degradation of structural components in strenuous environments. It highlights the capacity of laser cladding to operate on a wide range of substrate materials and shapes as well as presents how laser cladding can offer new possibilities in the reconditioning of components and how in many cases, these approaches are the only solution for economical efficiency. The handbook illustrates how if the type of power of the laser, laser optics, and the parameters of the process are efficiently selected, the number of applications of laser cladding can be large. The standard methods of testing used for various types of biomedical devices and tools, as well as the advantages of combining laser cladding with simultaneous induction heating, are described as well within this handbook. Features: Discusses the main mechanism behind the surface degradation of structural components in strenuous environments Highlights the capacity of laser cladding needed to operate on a wide range of substrate materials and shapes Presents how laser cladding can offer new possibilities in the reconditioning of components and how in many cases, these approaches are the only possible solution and are economically efficient Illustrates how if the type and power of the laser, laser optics, and the parameters of the process are efficiently selected, the number of applications of laser cladding can be large Offers the standard methods of testing used for various types of biomedical devices and tools Goes over the advantages of combining laser cladding with simultaneous induction heating The technical outcomes of these surface engineering methods are helpful for academics, students, and professionals who are working in this field as this enlightens their understanding of the performance of these latest processes. The audience is broad and multidisciplinary.

This book presents the latest advances in ultrafast science, including ultrafast laser and measurement technology as well as studies of ultrafast phenomena. Pico- and femtosecond processes relevant in physics, chemistry, biology and engineering are presented. Ultrafast technology has had a profound impact in a wide range of applications, among them imaging, material diagnostics and transformation and high-speed optoelectronics. This book summarizes the results presented at the 12th Ultrafast Phenomena Conference and reviews the state of the art of this important and rapidly advancing field.

This report presents an account of the course "Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Solids: Advances and Applications" held in Erice, Italy, from June 16 to 30, 1993. This meeting was organized by the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The purpose of this course was to present and discuss physical models, mathematical formalisms, experimental techniques, and applications relevant to the subject of nonlinear spectroscopy of solid state materials. The universal availability and application of lasers in spectroscopy has led to the widespread observation of nonlinear effects in the spectroscopy of materials. Nonlinear spectroscopy encompasses many physical phenomena which have their origin in the monochromaticity, spectral brightness, coherence, power density and tunability of laser sources. Conventional spectroscopy assumes a linear dependence between the applied electromagnetic field and the induced polarization of atoms and molecules. The validity of this assumption rests on the fact that even the most powerful conventional sources of light produce a light intensity which is not strong enough to equalize the rate of stimulated emission and that of the experimentally observed decay. A different situation may arise when laser light sources are used, particularly pulsed lasers. The use of such light sources can make the probability of induced emission comparable to, or even greater than, the probability of the observed decay; in such cases the nonlinearity of the response of the system is revealed by the experimental data and new properties, not detectable by conventional spectroscopy, will emerge.