This book provides an introduction to quantum cascade lasers, including the basic underlying models used to describe the device. It aims at giving a synthetic view of the topic including the aspects of the physics, the technology, and the use of the device. It should also provide a guide for the application engineer to use this device in systems. The book is based on lecture notes of a class given for Masters and beginning PhD students. The idea is to provide an introduction to the new and exciting developments that intersubband transitions have brought to the use of the mid-infrared and terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The book provides an introductory part to each topic so that it can be used in a self-contained way, while references to the literature will allow deeper studies for further research.

From science fiction death rays to supermarket scanners, lasers have become deeply embedded in our daily lives and our culture. But in recent decades the standard laser beam has evolved into an array of more specialized light beams with a variety of strange and counterintuitive properties. Some of them have the ability to reconstruct themselves after disruption by an obstacle, while others can bend in complicated shapes or rotate like a corkscrew. These unusual optical effects open new and exciting possibilities for science and technology. For example, they make possible microscopic tractor beams that pull objects toward the source of the light, and they allow the trapping and manipulation of individual molecules to construct specially-tailored nanostructures for engineering or medical use. It has even been found that beams of light can produce lines of darkness that can be tied in knots. This book is an introductory survey of these specialized light beams and their scientific applications, at a level suitable for undergraduates with a basic knowledge of optics and quantum mechanics. It provides a unified treatment of the subject, collecting together in textbook form for the first time many topics currently found only in the original research literature.

This book provides detailed and current information on using fullerenes (bucky-balls) in photodynamic therapy (PDT), one of the most actively studied applications of photonic science in healthcare. This will serve as a useful source for researchers working in photomedicine and nanomedicine, especially those who are investigating PDT for cancer treatment and infectious disease treatment. The book runs the gamut from an introduction to the history and chemistry of fullerenes and some basic photochemistry, to the application of fullerenes as photosensitizers for cancer and antimicrobial inactivation.

Pathogens such as viruses and bacteria are among the greatest threats to human health worldwide. In today's era of population growth and international travel, new technologies are desperately needed to combat the spread of known and emerging pathogens. This book presents a new concept for pathogen inactivation called selective photonic disinfection (SEPHODIS). The SEPHODIS technology inactivates pathogens by mechanical means, a total paradigm shift from traditional chemical and physical methods. The unique strength of SEPHODIS resides in its capability to inactivate pathogens while preserving desirable materials such as human cells and proteins. The technology also avoids the need to use chemicals, drastically reducing the risk of side effects. These properties make SEPHODIS ideal for important biomedical applications such as safeguarding blood products and therapeutics against pathogens, as well as producing effective and safe vaccines to combat infectious disease. Written in a style that is both technically informative and easy to comprehend for the layman reader, this book illustrates the story of SEPHODIS from its initial discovery and bench studies to its real-world applications.

Laser Scanning devices (LADAR for Laser Detection and Ranging) are used in construction projects to capture as-built data. They can rapidly generate large unstructured point clouds. This study describes an experiment in which an I-beam on a concrete floor surface is scanned, and the resulting point cloud data used to calculate its pose. Two approaches for segmenting potential target objects are described. Principal axis analysis is used to determine the pose of the I-beam. Bounding boxes are then formed around it and compared to an ideal bounding box generated from the known geometric specifications of the I-beam of interest. A separate laserbased site measurement system (SMS) was used to measure points on the Ibeams to form reference data for estimating the closeness of fit of computed pose of the I-beam to measured pose of the I-beam. Three spheres were used as a means of registering the scan and SMS axes.

The processing of signals or data is one of the cores of the information chain from production to application. More and more signals should be processed digitally in the big data era. Rapid and massive advances in digital signal processing (DSP) technology have been achieved over the past several decades. DSP technology revolutionized the electronics and opto-electronics industries. DSP technology is almost an all-embracing field and is advancing with each passing day. The classical application areas of DSP such as telecommunications, speech and image processing continue to be the main contributor to its growth. This book compiles cutting-edge research in several elementary and advanced topics in DSP, focusing on areas such as filter design algorithms, hardware/software techniques, and their applications. This book has a special emphasis on the modeling and design of optical communication filters. Use of well-developed DSP techniques and algorithms to design the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) devices is a wise use of existing technology. The authors also share several of their thoughts concerning the practical DSP systems. The DSP theory and hardware for obscured object identification, and its applications in the intelligent baggage scanners are introduced systematically. This book will be helpful for students, researchers and engineers in the DSP fields to understand the basic knowledge and techniques of software, hardware, devices, and systems.

Department of Defense (DOD) development work on high-energy military lasers, which has been underway for decades, has reached the point where lasers capable of countering certain surface and air targets at ranges of about a mile could be made ready for installation on Navy surface ships over the next few years. More powerful shipboard lasers, which could become ready for installation in subsequent years, could provide Navy surface ships with an ability to counter a wider range of surface and air targets at ranges of up to about 10 miles. This book focuses on potential Navy shipboard lasers for countering surface, air, and ballistic missile threats.

Holography, invented in 1947 by the Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor, is a two-step imaging technique that comprises the successful combination of interferences and diffraction. This book provides current research advances in digital holography. The topics discussed include digital holographic interference microscopy for blood cells; fragile and secure watermarking for the authentication of 3D images; and digital holography for 3D metrology.

Materials and Reliability Handbook for Semiconductor Optical and Electron Devices provides comprehensive coverage of reliability procedures and approaches for electron and photonic devices. These include lasers and high speed electronics used in cell phones, satellites, data transmission systems and displays. Lifetime predictions for compound semiconductor devices are notoriously inaccurate due to the absence of standard protocols. Manufacturers have relied on extrapolation back to room temperature of accelerated testing at elevated temperature. This technique fails for scaled, high current density devices. Device failure is driven by electric field or current mechanisms or low activation energy processes that are masked by other mechanisms at high temperature. The Handbook addresses reliability engineering for III-V devices, including materials and electrical characterization, reliability testing, and electronic characterization. These are used to develop new simulation technologies for device operation and reliability, which allow accurate prediction of reliability as well as the design specifically for improved reliability. The Handbook emphasizes physical mechanisms rather than an electrical definition of reliability. Accelerated aging is useful only if the failure mechanism is known. The Handbook also focuses on voltage and current acceleration stress mechanisms.

Optical Spectroscopy is an interdisciplinary science dedicated to generating and building knowledge in the field of spectroscopy and as a tool for practical investigations. This book has been elaborated for the use of specialists, students and young scientists interested in material characterization and direct investigation of various technological processes. As the title shows, the project of this book is ambitious and challenging. The topics have been selected to supply the physical background needed to understand the main spectroscopic principles and, at the same time, to reveal new potentiality for applications. Subjects like Reflectance Spectroscopy, Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection or Photoreflectance Spectroscopy provide an overview of classical methods in spectroscopy in contexts of new applications and reveal possibilities in new domains such as medicine, environmental investigations, etc. Various spectroscopic measurement methods embedded in characterization of materials, devices or technological processes are extensively presented.

A seminal early text on lenticular and holographic imaging, Takanori Okoshi's "Three-Dimensional Imaging Techniques" provides analysis and insights into the fundamentals of 3-D perception and the creation of 3-D imagery as well as a history of its technological development.

There is no more challenging setting for laser use than a research environment. In almost every other setting the laser controls count on engineering controls, and human exposure is kept to a minimum. In research, however, the user often manipulates the optical layout and thereby places him or herself in peril, but this does not mean that accidents and injury are unavoidable. On the contrary, laser accidents can be avoided by following a number of simple approaches. Laser Safety in the Lab provides the laser user and laser safety officer with practical guidelines from housekeeping to eyewear to on-the-job training.

This book presents current research in the study of lasers. Topics discussed include recent progress of high peak power solid state lasers; laser annealing of composite materials with metal nanoparticles; optical properties of rare earth ions induced by femtosecond laser; high intensity laser-matter interactions; low-dimensional models for characterising mode-locked fibre lasers; single-frequency fibre laser; ZnO nanostructures deposited by laser ablation; diode laser forming of steel parts and laser cladding.

Starting with basic physics, this monograph is written in 12 chapters and covers: laser beam propagation in atmosphere and effects like molecular absorption and scattering, random refraction and dispersion affecting intensity and collimation; laser sources like solid state and OPO, gaseous, semiconductors; optical resonators used for better beam quality and frequency stability are discussed; pumping/excitation of laser materials and cooling devices; Q-switching techniques like mechanical, electro-optics and passive elements for generation of giant pulse; electronics, optics and thin film technology including fabrication and specifications of critical components used in range finders; photo multiplier, avalanche photodiodes, MCT and InSb detectors are described for laser echo detection; design of ranging system, including assembly and testing, recent development; laser safety and precautions for operation and maintenance of ranging systems (318 pages, 248 references, 133 figures and 21 photos).

REVIEWS: "The first edition of this annual directory covers artistic holography, with future plans to include other aspects of this fast-developing technology. The non-technical introductory text describes holographic processes and a glossary defines terms. A well-organized international directory, arranged in four sections, includes vendors by type, procedures, sellers, holography in education and equipment. Each section provides a chart with vendors and categories followed by an alphabetical list of companies by country, with addresses, telephone numbers, and category codes. The chart on education quickly identifies museums and workshops. RECOMMENDED .. as the most current and comprehensive directory of holography." - Library Journal******************************"This work is packed with a wide variety of information about the holography industry. The cover and several insert pages illustrate different types of holograms covered in the text. Librarians will find the topical chapters, which explain and illustrate most areas in holography, very worthwhile. Chapter 10 provides conventional MarketPlace information, such as copyright holder, manufacturer, chain of distribution, distributor, wholesaler, and retailer. It also covers the year in review. Chapters 11 through 13 deal with holography business, business by category, and individuals in the industry. The volume concludes with a bibliography and glossary, which explains such terms as cross talk, embossed hologram, rainbow hologram, and shadowgram. " - American Reference Books Annual*********************************"The latest edition presents many changes: an enhanced layout, new contributions and hologram science, numerous samples, and addresses of all hologram companies in the world. As a standard library reference, it packs in everything businesses need for acquiring, selling and understanding holographs and their applications." - The Bookwatch******************************"Holography MarketPlace is an extensive international directory of display holography. It is edited by Franz Ross and Elizabeth Yerkes, and published by Ross Books of Berkeley, CA. It begins with an introduction to holography for the beginner and explains display holography with chapters on types of holograms, artwork, contracts, producers, buying and selling holograms, education, equipment and supplies, a bibliography, and an excellent glossary.The chapter on producers lists by country with a chart of the various services claimed to be offered. This directory is a tremendous effort and has produced a useful list of holography resources.Holography MarketPlace belongs on every holographic reference shelf and will likely get even better with the coming issues. I commend Franz Ross for seeing the importance of holography and being courageous enough to publish books in this little understood field of science and art; includes charts for quick reference. Of special note is the bibliography of over 200 holography books and articles and a listing of University of California library call letters "- L.A.S.E.R. NEWS**************************************"Bearing a startling hologram of a skull on its front cover, this volume is a complete, up-to-date reference guide to its subject. For the uninitiated, the first two chapters give a thorough introduction to this complex technology. There is also a chapter on available educational facilities, plus a glossary of technical terms.As publishers, Ross Books are in the unique position of offering advertising pages which are collector's items in themselves, in this case from American Bank Note Hologaphics (4pp), Light Impressions and Max Image." - EuroPrinter

This book gathers the latest research from around the globe on the subject of lasers and optics research. Topics discussed include advanced CO2 laser-induced plasma processing; excimer laser annealing of dielectrics with ion-synthesized metal nanoparticles; ultra-short pulse laser on hole drilling; laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and its applications in mineral and pollution analyses; high power optical coatings; lasers in implant dentistry; Q-switched laser applications and electromagnetically induced transparency in optical frequency metrology.

Productive direct conversion of lignocelluloses into liquid organic products by electron distillation of crude wood or by dry distillation of preliminarily irradiated wood is considered. Electron-beam conversion is several times more effective than ordinary hydrolytic, pyrogenous or enzymatic processing of wood. Distillation of wood by electron-beam energy yields a number of the useful reagents for heavy organic synthesis and fuel productions. In particular, this path results in high yield of furans -- perspective raw materials for production of high-quality alternative fuel which is compatible to conventional engine fuel and the up-to-date types of automobile engines. This book discusses that the electron-beam irradiation of binary wood-bitumen or wood-polymer inter-mixtures is characterised by sinergistic destruction of components.