This book covers the latest progress in the field of transparent ceramics, emphasizing their processing as well as solid-state lasers. It consists of 10 chapters covering the synthesis, characterization and compaction, fundamentals of sintering, densification of transparent ceramics by different methods as well as transparent ceramic applications. This book can be used as a reference for senior undergraduate to postgraduate students, researchers, engineers and material scientists working in solid-state physics.

In 1690, Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) published TraitA(c) de la LumiA]re, containing his renowned wave theory of light. It is considered a landmark in seventeenth-century science, for the way Huygens mathematized the corpuscular nature of light and his probabilistic conception of natural knowledge. This book discusses the development of Huygens' wave theory, reconstructing the winding road that eventually led to TraitA(c) de la LumiA]re. For the first time, the full range of manuscript sources is taken into account. In addition, the development of Huygens' thinking on the nature of light is put in the context of his optics as a whole, which was dominated by his lifelong pursuit of theoretical and practical dioptrics. In so doing, this book offers the first account of the development of Huygens' mathematical analysis of lenses and telescopes and its significance for the origin of the wave theory of light. As Huygens applied his mathematical proficiency to practical issues pertaining to telescopes a "including trying to design a perfect telescope by means of mathematical theory a" his dioptrics is significant for our understanding of seventeenth-century relations between theory and practice. With this full account of Huygens' optics, this book sheds new light on the history of seventeenth-century optics and the rise of the new mathematical sciences, as well as Huygens' oeuvre as a whole. Students of the history of optics, of early mathematical physics, and the Scientific Revolution, will find this book enlightening.

Reviews in Fluorescence 2009, the sixth volume of the book serial from Springer, serves as a comprehensive collection of current trends and emerging hot topics in the field of fluorescence and closely related disciplines. It summarizes the year's progress in fluorescence and its applications, with authoritative analytical reviews specialized enough to be attractive to professional researchers, yet also appealing to the wider audience of scientists in related disciplines of fluorescence. Reviews in Fluorescence offers an essential reference material for any lab working in the fluorescence field and related areas. All academics, bench scientists, and industry professionals wishing to take advantage of the latest and greatest in the continuously emerging field of fluorescence will find it an invaluable resource. Reviews in Fluorescence 2009 topics include: Hot electron-Induced Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence. Time-correlated, single-photon counting methods in endothelial cell mechanobiology. Origin of Tryptophan Fluorescence. Protein Folding, Unfolding and Aggregation Processes revealed by Rapid Sampling of Time-Domain Fluorescence.

Spurred by the development of high-current, high-energy relativistic electron beams, this books delves into the foundations of a device- and geometry-independent theoretical treatment of a large collection of interacting and radiating electron bunches. Covers a broad swath of topics, from the radiation emission of a single charged particle to collective behaviour of a high-density electron bunch, to application in modern sytems.

Terahertz (THz) radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation in a frequency int- val from 0.3 to 10 THz (1 mm-30 ?m wavelength), is the next frontier in science and technology. This band occupies a large portion of the electromagnetic sp- trum between the infrared and microwave bands. Basic research, new initiatives, and developments in advanced sensing and imaging technology with regard to the THz band remain unexplored compared to the relatively well-developed science and technology in the microwave and optical frequencies. Historically, THz technologies were used mainly within the astronomy c- munity for studying the background of cosmic far-infrared radiation, and by the laser-fusion community for the diagnostics of plasmas. Since the ?rst demonstration of THz wave time-domain spectroscopy in the late 1980s, there has been a series of signi?cant advances (particularly in recent years) as more intense THz sources and higher sensitivity detectors provide new opportunities for understanding the basic science in the THz frequency range.

Optoelectronics--technology based on applications light such as micro/nano quantum electronics, photonic devices, laser for measurements and detection--has become an important field of research. Many applications and physical problems concerning optoelectronics are analyzed in Optical Waveguiding and Applied Photonics. The book is organized in order to explain how to implement innovative sensors starting from basic physical principles. Applications such as cavity resonance, filtering, tactile sensors, robotic sensor, oil spill detection, small antennas and experimental setups using lasers are analyzed. Innovative materials such as nanocomposites are characterized, designed, and applied in order to provide new ideas about detection principles. As with many electric circuitries, light applications and architectures suffer from noising due to physical and transmission connections. The book illustrates some examples for practical issues. The theory and the nanotechnology facilities provide important tools for researchers working with sensing applications.

This volume presents a detailed, rigorous treatment of the fundamental theory of electromagnetic pulse propagation in causally dispersive media that is applicable to dielectric, conducting, and semiconducting media. Asymptotic methods of approximation based upon saddle point methods are presented in detail.

The second edition of Electronic Imaging in Astronomy: Detectors and Instrumentation describes the remarkable developments that have taken place in astronomical detectors and instrumentation in recent years -- from the invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD) in 1970 to the current era of very large telescopes, such as the Keck 10-meter telescopes in Hawaii with their laser guide-star adaptive optics which rival the image quality of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Authored by one of the world s foremost experts on the design and development of electronic imaging systems for astronomy, this book has been written on several levels to appeal to a broad readership. Mathematical expositions are controlled to encourage a wider audience, especially among the growing community of amateur astronomers who own small telescopes with CCD cameras. The book can be used at the college level for a one semester introductory course on modern astronomical detectors and instruments, and as a supplement for a practical or laboratory class. But it also provides the core of a one semester course on astronomical instrumentation for new graduate (PhD) students who may very soon be faced with using, or even building, electronic imaging systems.

The book contains worked examples, problems & solutions, end-of-chapter references and a glossary."

This thesis reports the remarkable discovery that, by arranging the dipoles in an ordered array with particular spacings, it is possible to greatly enhance the cross-section and achieve a strong light-matter coupling (>98% of the incident light). It also discusses the broad background to cooperative behaviour in atomic ensembles, and analyses in detail effects in one- and two-dimensional atomic arrays. In general, when light interacts with matter it excites electric dipoles and since the nineteenth century it has been known that if the amplitude of these induced dipoles is sufficiently large, and their distance apart is on the scale of the wavelength of the light, then their mutual interaction significantly modifies the light-matter interaction. However, it was not known how to exploit this effect to modify the light-matter interaction in a desirable way, for example in order to enhance the optical cross-section.

This book gives a theoretical description of linear and nonlinear optical responses of matter with special emphasis on the microscopic and "nonlocal" nature of resonant response. The response field and induced polarization are determined self-consistently in terms of simultaneous linear or nonlinear polynomial equations. This scheme is a general one situated between QED and macroscopic response theory, but is most appropriate for determining the dependence of optical signals on the size, shape, and internal structure of a nanostructure sample. As a highlight of the scheme, the multi-resonant enhancement of the DFWM signal is described together with its experimental verification.

This volume presents the Proceedings of New Development in Optics and Related Fields, held in Erice, Sicily, Italy, from the 6th to the 21st of June, 2005. This meeting was organized by the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy of the Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture. The purpose of this Institute was to provide a comprehensive and coherent treatment of the new techniques and contemporary developments in optics and related fields. Several lectures of the course addressed directly the technologies required for the detection and identification of chemical and biological threats; other lectures considered the possible applications of new techniques and materials to the detection and identification of such threats. Each lecturer developed a coherent section of the program starting at a somewhat fundamental level and ultimately reaching the frontier of knowledge in the field in a systematic and didactic fashion.

The book provides a comprehensive presentation of the topic of phononic and sonic crystals, including acoustic and elastic wave propagation in homogeneous and periodic media, Bloch waves and band structures, surface phononic crystals and phononic crystal slabs, evanescent Bloch waves and complex band structures, local resonance, dispersion and negative refraction, and phononic band gap guidance. The book is accompanied with a comprehensive set of finite element model (FEM) scripts for solving basic phononic crystal problems, as supplementary material. The scripts should allow the reader to generate band structures for 2D and 3D phononic crystals, to compute Bloch waves, waveguide and cavity modes, and more. They can be accessed here: https://members.femto-st.fr/vincent-laude/freefem-scripts-numerical-simulation-phononic-crystals

This 4th volume of LIGHT SCATTERING REVIEWS is devoted to modern knowledge and milestones in both experimental and theoretical techniques related to light scattering and radiative transport problems. It consists of 3 chapters comprising 12 contributions written by leading world experts in their respective fields. The general focus of the book is on single light scattering and radiative transfer. The three chapters are devoted to experimental studies in the optics of light scattering media.

The first chapter consists of three parts: In the first part, the main properties of scattering matrices are presented in a systematic way, together with polarimetric decomposition theorems in a great detail. The Green s function techniques for plane wave scattering by nonspherical particles is introduced in the second part. Different conceptual advantages and disadvantages of various numerical schemes developed in the past for the calculation of light scattering and absorption properties of small particles are discussed. The chapter concludes with studies of representations of the rotation group and T-matrix methods as applied for the calculation of optical properties of small particles with various habits.

The second chapter of the book describes recent results in the broad area of forward and inverse problems of the radiative transfer. The first paper surveys techniques for theoretical studies of light scattering and polarization of molecular atmosphere. The application of time-dependent radiative transfer equation for cloud remote sensing and the peculiarities of radiative transfer of fluorescent and bioluminescent light in biological tissues are then considered, together with the importance of optical imaging in clinical and pre-clinical applications. The applications of the linearized radiative transfer equation and inverse problems for a particular case of the spherical atmosphere are included.

The final chapter of the book covers recent advances in the experimental studies in the field of light scattering media optics. The instruments, measurements, and data processing used in experimental studies of optical properties of small particles using an imaging technique are extensively described before a study of aerosols in a controlled environment using static and dynamic light scattering. The book ends with a description of advances in dynamic light scattering techniques.

This fourth volume gives a valuable picture of recent developments in the areas of single light scattering, radiative transfer in particulate media (e.g., terrestrial atmosphere and tissues), and inverse problems for multiple scattering media. It will further facilitate studies in light scattering media optics and aid researchers across various scientific fields, including astronomy, meteorology, biophysics, medical optics and geophysics."

This corrected and expanded printing of Thin Films on Glass describes the development of active and passive thin films on glass at Schott, including recent developments and new technologies in glass ceramic reflectors, coatings on plastics and optical multilayers for ultra narrow band pass filters. Design strategies, the use of conventional and newly developed production technologies, and the application of characterization methods for the structure of thin films and their properties are reported. The book is written by Schott experts and illustrates how the best film materials and deposition and processing parameters may be selected. The topics covered include flip-flop layers, wave-guiding films, Rugate filters and gradient devices, optical transducers, coatings, and mirrors.  

Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder with cardinal motor signs of resting tremor, bradykinesia and lead-pipe rigidity. In addition, many patients display non-motor symptoms, including a diminished sensation of smell, gastrointestinal problems, various disorders of sleep and some cognitive impairment. These clinical features - particularly the motor signs - manifest after a progressive death of many dopaminergic neurones in the brain. Although currently available, conventional therapies can reduce the signs of the disease, the progression of this neuronal death has proved difficult to slow or stop, and the condition is relentlessly progressive. Hence, there is a real need to develop a treatment that is neuroprotective, one that slows the pathology of the disease effectively. At present, there are several neuroprotective therapies in the experimental pipeline, but these are for the patients of tomorrow. This book focuses on two therapies that are readily available for the patients of today. They involve the use of exercise and light (i.e. photobiomodulation, the use of red to infrared light therapy ( =600-1070nm) on body tissues). The two therapies are tied together in several ways. First, in animal models of Parkinson's disease, they each have been shown to offer the key feature of neuroprotection, stimulating a series of built-in protective mechanisms within the neurones, that helps their survival, to self-protect and/or self-repair. There are also some promising indications of neuroprotection and many beneficial outcomes in parkinsonian patients. Further, both exercise and light therapies are similar in that they are non-invasive and safe to use, with no known adverse side-effects, making their combination with the conventional therapies, such as dopamine replacement drug therapy and deep brain stimulation, all the more feasible. Given the heterogeneity of Parkinson's disease in humans, tackling the condition from a range of different angles - with a number of different therapies - would only serve to enhance the positive outcomes. This book considers the use of exercise and light therapies, proposing that they have the potential to make a powerful "dynamic duo", offering a most effective neuroprotective treatment option to patients.

This book covers the basics, realization and materials for high power laser systems and high power radiation interaction with matter. The physical and technical fundamentals of high intensity laser optics and adaptive optics and the related physical processes in high intensity laser systems are explained. A main question discussed is: What is power optics? In what way is it different from ordinary optics widely used in cameras, motion-picture projectors, i.e., for everyday use? An undesirable consequence of the thermal deformation of optical elements and surfaces was discovered during studies of the interaction with powerful incident laser radiation. The requirements to the fabrication, performance and quality of optical elements employed within systems for most practical applications are also covered. The high-power laser performance is generally governed by the following: (i) the absorption of incident optical radiation (governed primarily by various absorption mechanisms), (ii) followed by a temperature increase and response governed primarily by thermal properties and (iii) the thermo-optical and thermo-mechanical response of distortion, stress, fracture, etc. All this needs to be understood to design efficient, compact, reliable and useful high power systems for many applications under a variety of operating conditions, pulsed, continuous wave and burst mode of varying duty cycles. The book gives an overview of an important spectrum of related topics like laser resonator configurations, intermetallic optical coatings, heat carriers for high power optics, cellular materials, high-repetition-rate lasers and mono-module disk lasers for high power optics.

Unlike most natural colours that are based on pigment absorption, the striking iridescent and intense colouration of many butterflies, birds or beetles stems from the interaction of light with periodic sub-micrometer surface or volume patterns, so called "photonic structures". These "structural colours" are increasingly well understood, but they are difficult to create artificially and exploit technologically. In this thesis the field of natural structural colours and biomimetic photonic structures is covered in a wide scope, ranging from plant photonics to theoretical optics. It demonstrates diffractive elements on the petal surfaces of many flowering plant species; these form the basis for the study of the role of structural colours in pollinator attraction. Self-assembly techniques, combined with scale able nanofabrication methods, were used to create complex artificial photonic structures inspired by those found in nature. In particular, the colour effect of a Papilio butterfly was mimicked and, by variation of its design motive, enhanced. All photonic effects described here are underpinned by state-of-the-art model calculations.

This volume provides a detailed discussion of the mathematical aspects and the physical applications of a new geometrical structure of space-time, based on a generalization ("deformation") of the usual Minkowski space, as supposed to be endowed with a metric whose coefficients depend on the energy.

Such a formalism (Deformed Special Relativity, DSR) allows one

• to account for breakdown of local Lorentz invariance in the usual, special-relativistic meaning (however, Lorentz invariance is recovered in a generalized sense)
• to provide an effective geometrical description of the four fundamental interactions (electromagnetic, weak, strong and gravitational)

Moreover, the four-dimensional energy-dependent space-time is just a manifestation of a larger, five-dimensional space in which energy plays the role of a fifth (non-compactified) dimension. This new five-dimensional scheme (Deformed Relativity in Five Dimensions, DR5) represents a true generalization of the usual Kaluza-Klein (KK) formalism.

The mathematical properties of such a generalized KK scheme are illustrated. They include the solutions of the five-dimensional Einstein equations in vacuum in most cases of physical relevance, the infinitesimal symmetries of the theory for the phenomenological metrics of the four interactions, and the study of the five-dimensional geodesics.

The mathematical results concerning the geometry of the deformed five-dimensional spacetime (like its Killing symmetries) can be applied also to other multidimensional theories with infinite extra dimensions. Some experiments providing preliminary evidence for the hypothesized deformation of space-time for all thefour fundamental interactions are discussed.

Better understand the mechanism of degradation, and gain insight into the major degradation modes of optical devices fabricated from three different systems with this book. It explains the character of defects and imperfections induced during material growth and fabrication, presents techniques for failure analysis, and describes methods for elimination of defect-generating mechanisms.