This book focuses on several areas of intense topical interest related to applied spectroscopy and the science of nanomaterials. The eleven chapters in the book cover the following areas of interest relating to applied spectroscopy and nanoscience: * Raman spectroscopic characterization, modeling and simulation studies of carbon nanotubes, * Characterization of plasma discharges using laser optogalvanic spectroscopy, * Fluorescence anisotropy in understanding protein conformational disorder and aggregation, * Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in nanomedicine, * Calculation of Van der Waals interactions at the nanoscale, * Theory and simulation associated with adsorption of gases in nanomaterials, * Atom-precise metal nanoclusters, * Plasmonic properties of metallic nanostructures, two-dimensional materials, and their composites, * Applications of graphene in optoelectronic devices and transistors, * Role of graphene in organic photovoltaic device technology, * Applications of nanomaterials in nanomedicine.

This highly practical and self-contained guidebook explains the principles and major applications of digital hologram recording and numerical reconstruction (Digital Holography). A special chapter is designated to digital holographic interferometry with applications in deformation and shape measurement and refractive index determination. Applications in imaging and microscopy are also described. Spcial techniques such as digital light-in-flight holography, holographic endoscopy, information encrypting, comparative holography, and related techniques of speckle metrology are also treated

This book offers an essential compendium of astronomical high-resolution techniques. Recent years have seen considerable developments in such techniques, which are critical to advances in many areas of astronomy. As reflected in the book, these techniques can be divided into direct methods, interferometry, and reconstruction methods, and can be applied to a huge variety of astrophysical systems, ranging from planets, single stars and binaries to active galactic nuclei, providing angular resolution in the micro- to tens of milliarcsecond scales. Written by experts in their fields, the chapters cover adaptive optics, aperture masking imaging, spectra disentangling, interferometry, lucky imaging, Roche tomography, imaging with interferometry, interferometry of AGN, AGN reverberation mapping, Doppler- and magnetic imaging of stellar surfaces, Doppler tomography, eclipse mapping, Stokes imaging, and stellar tomography. This book is intended to enable a next generation of astronomers to apply high-resolution techniques. It informs readers on how to achieve the best angular resolution in the visible and near-infrared regimes from diffraction-limited to micro-arcsecond scales.

In the never-ending quest for miniaturization, optically controlled particle trapping has opened up new possibilities for handling microscopic matter non-invasively. This thesis presents the application of photorefractive crystals as active substrate materials for optoelectronic tweezers. In these tweezers, flexible optical patterns are transformed into electrical forces by a photoconductive material, making it possible to handle matter with very high forces and high throughput. Potential substrate materials’ properties are investigated and ways to tune their figures-of-merit are demonstrated. A large part of the thesis is devoted to potential applications in the field of optofluidics, where photorefractive optoelectronic tweezers are used to trap, sort and guide droplets or particles in microfluidic channels, or to shape liquid polymers into optical elements prior to their solidification. Furthermore, a new surface discharge model is employed to discuss the experimental conditions needed for photorefractive optoelectronic tweezers.

Despite more than half a century of theoretical work, the Casimir effect is still not as fully understood as some suppose. In this treatise, the author uncovers new puzzles and paradoxes concerning this mysterious phenomenon. In particular, he clearly demonstrates that the most sophisticated theories fail when confronted with dielectrics in which the refractive index is not uniform but gradually changes.

This book present the lecture notes used in two courses that the late Professor Kasra Barkeshli had offered at Sharif University of Technology, namely, Advanced Electromagnetics and Scattering Theory. The prerequisite for the sequence is vector calculus and electromagnetic fields and waves. Some familiarity with Green's functions and integral equations is desirable but not necessary. The book provides a brief but concise introduction to classical topics in the field. It is divided into three parts including annexes. Part I covers principle of electromagnetic theory. The discussion starts with a review of the Maxwell's equations in differential and integral forms and basic boundary conditions. The solution of inhomogeneous wave equation and various field representations including Lorentz's potential functions and the Green's function method are discussed next. The solution of Helmholtz equation and wave harmonics follow. Next, the book presents plane wave propagation in dielectric and lossy media and various wave velocities. This part concludes with a general discussion of planar and circular waveguides. Part II presents basic concepts of electromagnetic scattering theory. After a brief discussion of radar equation and scattering cross section, the author reviews the canonical problems in scattering. These include the cylinder, the wedge and the sphere. The edge condition for the electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of geometric discontinuities are discussed. The author also presents the low frequency Rayleigh and Born approximations. The integral equation method for the formulation of scattering problems is presented next, followed by an introduction to scattering from periodic structures. Part III is devoted to numerical methods. It begins with finite-difference methods to solve elliptic equations, and introduces the finite-difference time-domain method for the solution of hyperbolic and parabolic equations. Next, the part turns to the method of moments for the solution of integral equations. This part ends with a short introduction to the finite-element method. 

This text seeks to illuminate, mainly for the electrical power engineers of the future, the topic of large scale solar flux gathering schemes, which arguably represent the major source of renewable power available. The aim of the content is to impart, from an electromagnetic perspective, a deep and sound understanding of the topic of solar flux collection, ranging from the characteristics of light to the properties of antennas. To do this five chapters are employed to provide a thorough grounding in relevant aspects of electromagnetism and electromagnetic waves including optics, electromagnetic radiation and reception, aperture antennas and array antennas and the quantum electrodynamics aspects of optical absorption, as it relates to photovoltaic techniques. The principles developed in these chapters are then used to underpin and elucidate the main chapters on photovoltaic collectors, concentrated solar power collectors, satellite based collection systems and optical nantennas. To establish the novel and transformative renewable technologies, which civilisation will soon require, in order to achieve sustainability quickly and effectively, the availability of professional engineers and scientists with a thorough and commanding grasp of the fundamental science is an absolutely essential prerequisite. This book provides this for solar power generating systems.

This second edition of Nanofabrication is one of the most comprehensive introductions on nanofabrication technologies and processes. A practical guide and reference, this book introduces readers to all of the developed technologies that are capable of making structures below 100nm. The principle of each technology is introduced and illustrated with minimum mathematics involved. Also analyzed are the capabilities of each technology in making sub-100nm structures, and the limits of preventing a technology from going further down the dimensional scale. This book provides readers with a toolkit that will help with any of their nanofabrication challenges.

A dense sheet of electrons accelerated to close to the speed of light can act as a tuneable mirror that can generate bright bursts of laser-like radiation in the short wavelength range simply via the reflection of a counter-propagating laser pulse. This thesis investigates the generation of such a relativistic electron mirror structure in a series of experiments accompanied by computer simulations. It is shown that such relativistic mirror can indeed be created from the interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse with a nanometer-scale, ultrathin foil. The reported work gives a intriguing insight into the complex dynamics of high-intensity laser-nanofoil interactions and constitutes a major step towards the development of a relativistic mirror, which could potentially generate bright burst of X-rays on a micro-scale.

The advent of microelectromechanic system (MEMS) technologies and nanotechnologies has resulted in a multitude of structures and devices with ultra compact dimensions and with vastly enhanced or even completely novel properties. In the field of photonics it resulted in the appearance of new paradigms, including photonic crystals that exhibit photonic bandgap and represent an optical analog of semiconductors and metamaterials that have subwavelength features and may have almost arbitrary values of effective refractive index, including those below zero. In addition to that, a whole new field of plasmonics appeared, dedicated to the manipulation with evanescent, surface-bound electromagnetic waves and offering an opportunity to merge nanoelectronics with all-optical circuitry. In the field of infrared technologies MEMS and nanotechnologies ensured the appearance of a new generation of silicon-based thermal detectors with properties vastly surpassing the conventional thermal devices. However, another family of infrared detectors, photonic devices based on narrow-bandgap semiconductors, has traditionally been superior to thermal detectors. Literature about their micro and nanophotonic enhancement has been scarce and scattered through journals. This book offers the first systematic approach to numerous different MEMS and nanotechnology-based methods available for the improvement of photonic infrared detectors and points out to a path towards uncooled operation with the performance of cryogenically cooled devices. It is shown that a vast area for enhancement does exists and that photonic devices can readily keep their leading position in infrared detection. The various methods and approaches described in the book are also directly applicable to different other types of photodetectors like solar cells, often with little or no modification.

The thesis covers a broad range of electronic, optical and opto-electronic devices and various predicted physical effects. In particular, it examines the quantum interference transistor effect in graphene nanorings; tunable spin-filtering and spin-dependent negative differential resistance in composite heterostructures based on graphene and ferromagnetic materials; optical and novel electro-optical bistability and hysteresis in compound systems and the real-time control of radiation patterns of optical nanoantennas. The direction of the main radiation lobe of a regular plasmonic array can be changed abruptly by small variations in external control parameters. This optical effect, apart from its relevance for applications, is a revealing example of the Umklapp process and, thus, is a visual manifestation of one of the most fundamental laws of solid state physics: the conservation of the quasi-momentum to within a reciprocal lattice vector. The thesis analyzes not only results for particular device designs but also a variety of advanced numerical methods which are extended by the author and described in detail. These methods can be used as a sound starting point for further research.

This monograph solely investigates the Einstein's Photoemission(EP) from Heavily Doped(HD) Quantized Structures on the basis of newly formulated electron dispersion laws. The materials considered are quantized structures of HD non-linear optical, III-V, II-VI, Ge, Te, Platinum Antimonide, stressed materials, GaP, Gallium Antimonide, II-V, Bismuth Telluride together with various types of HD superlattices and their Quantized counterparts respectively. The EP in HD opto-electronic materials and their nanostructures is studied in the presence of strong light waves and intense electric fields that control the studies of such quantum effect devices. The suggestions for the experimental determinations of different important physical quantities in HD 2D and 3D materials and the importance of measurement of band gap in HD optoelectronic materials under intense built-in electric field in nano devices and strong external photo excitation (for measuring physical properties in the presence of intense light waves which alter the electron energy spectra) have also been discussed in this context. The influence quantizing magnetic field, on the EP of the different HD quantized structures (quantum wells, quantum well HD superlattices and nipi structures) under different physical conditions has been investigated. This monograph contains 100 open research problems which form the integral part of the text and are useful for both Ph.D aspirants and researchers in the fields of materials science, condensed matter physics, solid-state sciences, nano-science and technology and allied fields in addition to the graduate courses in modern semiconductor nanostructures offered in different Universities and Institutes.

This book presents some of the latest achievements in nanotechnology and nanomaterials from leading researchers in Ukraine, Europe, and beyond. It features contributions from participants in the 2nd International Summer School “Nanotechnology: From Fundamental Research to Innovations� and International Research and Practice Conference “Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials�, NANO-2013, which were held in Bukovel, Ukraine on August 25-September 1, 2013. These events took place within the framework of the European Commission FP7 project Nanotwinning, and were organized jointly by the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, University of Tartu (Estonia), University of Turin (Italy), and Pierre and Marie Curie University (France). Internationally recognized experts from a wide range of universities and research institutions share their knowledge and key results on topics ranging from nanooptics, nanoplasmonics, and interface studies to energy storage and biomedical applications.

This book deals with the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) a widely used atomic emission spectroscopy technique for elemental analysis of materials. It is based on the use of a high-power, short pulse laser excitation. The book is divided into two main sections: the first one concerning theoretical aspects of the technique, the second one describing the state of the art in applications of the technique in different scientific/technological areas. Numerous examples of state of the art applications provide the readers an almost complete scenario of the LIBS technique. The LIBS theoretical aspects are reviewed. The book helps the readers who are less familiar with the technique to understand the basic principles. Numerous examples of state of the art applications give an almost complete scenario of the LIBS technique potentiality. These examples of applications may have a strong impact on future industrial utilization. The authors made important contributions to the development of this field.

Epitaxial integration of III-V semiconductors on silicon substrates has been desired over decades for high application potential in microelectronics, photovoltaics, and beyond. The performance of optoelectronic devices is still severely impaired by critical defect mechanisms driven by the crucial polar-on-nonpolar heterointerface. This thesis reports almost lattice-matched growth of thin gallium phosphide films as a viable model system for III-V/Si(100) interface investigations. The impact of antiphase disorder on the heteroepitaxial growth surface provides quantitative optical in situ access to one of the most notorious defect mechanisms, even in the vapor phase ambient common for compound semiconductor technology. Precise control over the surface structure of the Si(100) substrates prior to III-V nucleation prevents the formation of antiphase domains. The hydrogen-based process ambient enables the preparation of anomalous double-layer step structures on Si(100), highly beneficial for subsequent III-V integration.

This book reflects the latest advances in nonlinear optics. Besides the simple, strict mathematical deduction, it also discusses the experimental verification and possible future applications, such as the all-optical switches. It consistently uses the practical unit system throughout. It employs simple physical images, such as "light waves" and "photons" to systematically explain the main principles of nonlinear optical effects. It uses the first-order nonlinear wave equation in frequency domain under the condition of "slowly varying amplitude approximation" and the classical model of the interaction between the light and electric dipole. At the same time, it also uses the rate equations based on the energy-level transition of particle systems excited by photons and the energy and momentum conservation principles to explain the nonlinear optical phenomenon. The book is intended for researchers, engineers and graduate students in the field of optics, optoelectronics, fiber communication, information technology and materials etc.

This thesis presents an experimental study of the ultrafast molecular dynamics of CO_2^+ that are induced by a strong, near-infrared, femtosecond laser pulse. In particular, typical strong field phenomena such as tunneling ionisation, nonsequential double ionisation and photo-induced dissociation are investigated and controlled by employing an experimental technique called impulsive molecular alignment. Here, a first laser pulse fixes the molecule in space, such that the molecular dynamics can be studied as a function of the molecular geometry with a second laser pulse. The experiments are placed within the context of the study and control of ultrafast molecular dynamics, where sub-femtosecond (10^-15 seconds) resolution in ever larger molecular systems represents the current frontier of research. The thesis presents the required background in strong field and molecular physics, femtosecond laser architecture and experimental techniques in a clear and accessible language that does not require any previous knowledge in these fields.

This book is dedicated to the relativistic (laser intensity above 1018 W/cm2) laser-plasma interactions, which mainly concerns two important aspects: ion acceleration and extreme-light-field (ELF). Based on the ultra-intense and ultra–short CP lasers, this book proposes a new method that significantly improves the efficiency of heavy-ion acceleration, and deals with the critical thickness issues of light pressure acceleration. More importantly, a series of plasma approaches for producing ELFs, such as the relativistic single-cycle laser pulse, the intense broad-spectrum chirped laser pulse and the ultra-intense isolated attosecond (10-18s) pulse are introduced. This book illustrates that plasma not only affords a tremendous accelerating gradient for ion acceleration but also serves as a novel medium for ELF generation, and hence has the potential of plasma-based optics, which have a great advantage on the light intensity due to the absence of device damage threshold.

The book introduces ‘the state of the art' of pulsed laser ablation and its applications. It is based on recent theoretical and experimental studies. The book reaches from the basics to advanced topics of pulsed laser ablation. Theoretical and experimental fundamental phenomena involved in pulsed laser ablation are discussed with respect to material properties, laser wavelength, fluence and intensity regime of the light absorbed linearly or non-linearly in the target material. The energy absorbed by the electrons leads to atom/molecule excitation, ionization and/or direct chemical bond breaking and is also transferred to the lattice leading to material heating and phase transitions. Experimental non-invasive optical methods for analyzing these phenomena in real time are described. Theoretical models for pulsed laser ablation and phase transitions induced by laser beams and laser-vapour/plasma interaction during the plume expansion above the target are also presented. Calculations of the ablation speed and dimensions of the ablated micro- and nano-structures are performed. The validity and required refinement of different models in different experimental conditions is provided. The pulsed laser deposition process which bases on collecting the ablated particles on a surface is analyzed in terms of efficiency and quality of the deposited films as a function of ambient conditions, target material, laser parameters and substrate characteristics. The interaction between the incident laser and the ablation plasma is analyzed with respect to its influence on the structures of the deposited films and its capacity to generate high harmonics and single attosecond pulses which are highly desirable in pump-probe experiments.

In this thesis, the author explains the background of problems in quantum estimation, the necessary conditions required for estimation precision benchmarks that are applicable and meaningful for evaluating data in quantum information experiments, and provides examples of such benchmarks. The author develops mathematical methods in quantum estimation theory and analyzes the benchmarks in tests of Bell-type correlation and quantum tomography with those methods. Above all, a set of explicit formulae for evaluating the estimation precision in quantum tomography with finite data sets is derived, in contrast to the standard quantum estimation theory, which can deal only with infinite samples. This is the first result directly applicable to the evaluation of estimation errors in quantum tomography experiments, allowing experimentalists to guarantee estimation precision and verify quantitatively that their preparation is reliable.

This book presents nine chapters based on fundamental and applied research of alternative energies. At the present time, the challenge is that technology has to come up with solutions that can provide environmentally friendly energy supply options that are able to cover the current world energy demand. Experts around the world are working on these issues for providing new solutions that will break the existing technological barriers. This book aims to address key pillars in the alternative energy field, such as: biomass energy, hydrogen energy, solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and their environmental implications, with the most updated progress for each pillar. It also includes the life cycle assessment (LCA) and thermoeconomic analysis (TA) as tools for evaluating and optimising environmental and cost subjects. Chapters are organized into fundamental research, applied research and future trends; and written for engineers, academic researches and scientists.

This thesis provides unique information on the Kerr-lens mode-locking (KLM) technique applied to a thin-disk laser. It describes in detail cavity geometry, the qualitative approach to KLM, and self-starting behavior in the regime of both negative and positive dispersion. Comprehensive comparative analysis of KLM and semiconductor saturable absorber techniques is also carried out. Recent successful experiments on carrier-envelope phase stabilization, spectral broadening and compression of output of this oscillator underline the importance of this new, emerging technology.

This volume collects a a number of contributions on spontaneous symmetry breaking. Current studies in this general field are going ahead at a full speed. The book present review chapters which give an overview on the major break throughs of recent years. It covers a number of different physical settings which are introduced when a nonlinearity is added to the underlying symmetric problems and its strength exceeds a certain critical value. The corresponding loss of symmetry, called spontaneous symmetry breaking, alias self-trapping into asymmetric states is extensively discussed in this book. The book presents both active theoretical studies of spontaneous symmetry breaking effects as well as experimental findings, chiefly for Bose-Einstein-Condensates with the self-repulsive nonlinearity, and also for photorefractive media in optics.

This thesis deals with the dynamics of state-of-the-art nanophotonic semiconductor structures, providing essential information on fundamental aspects of nonlinear dynamical systems on the one hand, and technological applications in modern telecommunication on the other. Three different complex laser structures are considered in detail: (i) a quantum-dot-based semiconductor laser under optical injection from a master laser, (ii) a quantum-dot laser with optical feedback from an external resonator, and (iii) a passively mode-locked quantum-well semiconductor laser with saturable absorber under optical feedback from an external resonator. Using a broad spectrum of methods, both numerical and analytical, this work achieves new fundamental insights into the interplay of microscopically based nonlinear laser dynamics and optical perturbations by delayed feedback and injection.

This is a textbook on electromagnetics for undergraduate students in electrical engineering, information, and communications. The book contents are very compact and brief compared to other commonly known electromagnetic books for undergraduate students and emphasizes mathematical aspects of basic electromagnetic theory. The book presents basic electromagnetic theory starting from static fields to time-varying fields. Topics are divided into static electric fields, static magnetic fields, time-varying fields, and electromagnetic waves. The goal of this textbook is to lead students away from memorization, but towards a deeper understanding of formulas that are used in electromagnetic theory. Many formulas commonly used for electromagnetic analysis are mathematically derived from a few empirical laws. Physical interpretations of formulas are de-emphasized. Each important formula is framed to indicate its significance. Primary Theory of Electromagnetics shows a clear and rigorous account of formulas in a consistent manner, thus letting students understand how electromagnetic formulas are related to each other.