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 Workshop "Science with the VLT in the ELT Era" held in Garching from 8th to 12th October 2007 was organised by ESO, with support from its Scienti c and Technical Committee, to provide a forum for the astronomical community to debate the long term future of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and its interferometric mode (VLTI). In particular it was considered useful for future planning to evaluate how its science use may evolve over the next decade due to competition and/or synergy with new facilities such as ALMA, JWST and, hopefully, at least one next generation 30-40 m extremely large telescope whose acronym appears in the title to symbolise this wider context. These discussions were also held in the fresh light of the Science Vision recently developed within ASTRONET as the rst step towards a 20 year plan for implementing astronomical facilities-the rst such attempt within Europe. Speci c ideas and proposals for new, second generation VLT/I instruments were also solicited following a tradition set by several earlier Workshops held since the start of the VLT development. The programme consisted of invited talks and reviews and contributed talks and posters. Almost all those given are included here although, unfortunately not the several lively but constructive discussion sessions.

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 textbook extends from the basics of femtosecond physics all the way to some of the latest developments in the field. In this updated edition, the chapter on laser-driven atoms is augmented by the discussion of two-electron atoms interacting with strong and short laser pulses, as well as by a review of ATI rings and low energy structures in photo-electron spectra. In the chapter on laser-driven molecules a discussion of 2D infrared spectroscopy is incorporated. Theoretical investigations of atoms and molecules interacting with pulsed lasers up to atomic field strengths on the order of 10^16 W/cm(2) are leading to an understanding of many challenging experimental discoveries. The presentation starts with a brief introduction to pulsed laser physics. The basis for the non-perturbative treatment of laser-matter interaction in the book is the time-dependent Schroedinger equation. Its analytical as well as numerical solution are laid out in some detail. The light field is treated classically and different possible gauges for the field-matter interaction are discussed. Physical phenomena, ranging from paradigmatic Rabi-oscillations in two-level systems to the ionization of atoms, the generation of high-order harmonics, the ionization and dissociation of molecules, as well as the control of chemical reactions are presented and discussed on a fundamental level. In this way, the theoretical background for state of the art experiments with strong and short laser pulses is given. The new text is augmented by several additional exercises and now contains a total of forty-eight problems, whose worked-out solutions are given in the last chapter. In addition, some detailed calculations are performed in the appendices. Furthermore, each chapter ends with references to more specialized literature.

This book will address the advances, applications, research results, and emerging areas of optics, photonics, computational approaches, nano-photonics, bio-photonics, with applications in information systems. The objectives are to bring together novel approaches, analysis, models, and technologies that enhance sensing, measurement, processing, interpretation, and visualization of information. The book will concentrate on new approaches to information systems, including integration of computational algorithms, bio-inspired models, photonics technologies, information security, bio-photonics, and nano-photonics. Applications include bio-photonics, digitally enhanced sensing and imaging systems, multi-dimensional optical imaging and image processing, bio-inspired imaging, 3D visualization, 3D displays, imaging on nano-scale, quantum optics, super resolution imaging, photonics for biological applications, microscopy, information optics, and holographic information systems.

Laser materials processing has made tremendous progress and is now at the forefront of industrial and medical applications. The book describes recent advances in smart and nanoscaled materials going well beyond the traditional cutting and welding applications. As no analytical methods are described the examples are really going into the details of what nowadways is possible by employing lasers for sophisticated materials processing giving rise to achievements not possible by conventional materials processing.

This series, established in 1965, is concerned with recent developments in the general area of atomic, molecular and optical physics. The field is in a state of rapid growth, as new experimental and theoretical techniques are used on many old and new problems.
Topics covered include related applied areas, such as atmospheric science, astrophysics, surface physics and laser physics. Articles are written by distinguished experts who are active in their research fields.
The articles contain both relevant review material and detailed descriptions of important recent developments.

Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles

Treating absorption and scattering in equal measure, this self-contained, interdisciplinary study examines and illustrates how small particles absorb and scatter light. The authors emphasize that any discussion of the optical behavior of small particles is inseparable from a full understanding of the optical behavior of the parent material—bulk matter. To divorce one concept from the other is to render any study on scattering theory seriously incomplete.

Special features and important topics covered in this book include:

• Classical theories of optical properties based on idealized models
• Measurements for three representative materials: magnesium oxide, aluminum, and water
• An extensive discussion of electromagnetic theory
• Numerous exact and approximate solutions to various scattering problems
• Examples and applications from physics, astrophysics, atmospheric physics, and biophysics
• Some 500 references emphasizing work done since Kerker's 1969 work on scattering theory
• Computer programs for calculating scattering by spheres, coated spheres, and infinite cylinders

Light Scattering by Systems of Particles comprehensively develops the theory of the null-field method, while covering almost all aspects and current applications. The Null-field Method with Discrete Sources is an extension of the Null-field Method (also called T-Matrix Method) to compute light scattering by arbitrarily shaped dielectric particles. It also incorporates FORTRAN programs and exemplary simulation results that demonstrate all aspects of the latest developments of the method. Worked examples of the application of the FORTRAN programs show readers how to adapt or modify the programs for his specific application.

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Photons are an attractive option for testing fundamental quantum physics and developing new quantum-enhanced technology, including highly advanced computers and simulators, as well as precision sensing beyond shot-noise. Traditionally, bulk optical components have been bolted onto optical benches to realize metre-scale quantum circuits. However this approach is ultimately proving unwieldy for increasing the complexity and for scaling up to practical quantum technologies based on photons. The work presented here demonstrates a series of quantum photonic devices based on waveguide circuits embedded in miniature monolithic chips. This represents a paradigm shift in the underlying architecture of quantum optics and provides key building blocks for all-optical and hybrid quantum technologies.

This volume provides a discussion of the challenges and perspectives of electromagnetics and network theory and their microwave applications in all aspects. It collects the most interesting contribution of the symposium dedicated to Professor Peter Russer held in October 2009 in Munich.

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.

This volume in the Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids is the first and only book to provide comprehensive coverage of refractive index and thermo-optic coefficients. It contains the refractive indexes and thermo-optic coefficients for nonlinear crystals, semiconductors, optical glasses, and fiber glasses. The Sellmeier coefficients of two physically meaningful Sellmeier equations are evaluated and are used to calculate these values throughout the normal transmission region of these optical materials. The author has also included analysis and explanations for some temperature-dependent optical devices/systems

* Presents the optical constants for over 70 technologically interesting crystals and commercial glasses
* Details various techniques for measuring the optical constants and mathematical models for analytical calculations of some data
* Includes thermo-optic coefficients that are necessary to calculate the refractive index of the optical material at any operating temperature
* Describes how all optical devices (both temperature dependent and independent) can be explained satisfactorily by using the two Sellmeier equations

Quantum dots as nanomaterials have been extensively investigated in the past several decades from growth to characterization to applications. As the basis of future developments in the field, this book collects a series of state-of-the-art chapters on the current status of quantum dot devices and how these devices take advantage of quantum features. Written by 56 leading experts from 14 countries, the chapters cover numerous quantum dot applications, including lasers, LEDs, detectors, amplifiers, switches, transistors, and solar cells. "Quantum Dot Devices" is appropriate for researchers of all levels of experience with an interest in epitaxial and/or colloidal quantum dots. It provides the beginner with the necessary overview of this exciting field and those more experienced with a comprehensive reference source."

This comprehensive book makes the important technologies and mathematical concepts behind today's optical communications systems accessible and understandable to practicing and future electrical and communication engineers. Featuring nearly 400 figures and over 900 equations, the book provides the practical engineering details and mathematical tools necessary to analyze and design optical fiber systems.

Being the most active field in modern physics, Optical Physics has developed many new branches and interdisciplinary fields overlapping with various classical disciplines. This series summarizes the advancements of optical physics in the past twenty years in the following fields: High Field Laser Physics, Precision Laser Spectroscopy, Nonlinear Optics, Nanophotonics, Quantum Optics, Ultrafast Optics, Condensed Matter Optics, and Molecular Biophotonics.

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 provides an attempt to convey the colorful facets of condensed matter systems with reduced dimensionality. Some of the specific features predicted for interacting one-dimensional electron systems, such as charge- and spin-density waves, have been observed in many quasi-one-dimensional materials. The two-dimensional world is even richer: besides d-wave superconductivity and the Quantum Hall Effect - perhaps the most spectacular phases explored during the last two decades - many collective charge and spin states have captured the interest of researchers, such as charge stripes or spontaneously generated circulating currents.

Recent years have witnessed important progress in material preparation, measurement techniques and theoretical methods. Today larger and better samples, higher flux for neutron beams, advanced light sources, better resolution in electron spectroscopy, new computational algorithms, and the development of field-theoretical approaches allow an in-depth analysis of the complex many-body behaviour of low-dimensional materials. The epoch when simple mean-field arguments were sufficient for describing the gross features observed experimentally is definitely over.

The Editors' aim is to thoroughly explain a number of selected topics: the application of dynamical probes, such as neutron scattering, optical absorption and photoemission, as well as transport studies, both electrical and thermal. Some of the more theoretical chapters are directly relevant for experiments, such as optical spectroscopy, transport in one-dimensional models, and the phenomenology of charge inhomogeneities in layered materials, while others discuss more general topics and methods, for example the concept of a Luttinger liquid and bosonization, or duality transformations, both promising tools for treating strongly interacting many-body systems.

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.

This text is an introductory compilation of basic concepts, methods and applications in the field of spectroscopy. It discusses new radiation sources such as lasers and synchrotrons and describes the linear response together with the basic principles and the technical background for various scattering experiments.

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.