Faster than light - Einstein's relativity is on its way down. It's a Newtonian universe once again.

This book covers four major topics of integrated photonics: 1) fundamental principles of electromagnetic theory; 2) waveguides; 3) simulation of waveguide modes, and 4) photonic structures. The first part of the text explores the basis for optical propagation and establishes the use of the MKS system, discussing the wave equation and the properties of materials such as attenuation and dispersion. The next section explores the operation of optical waveguides. We start with planar slab waveguides, then systematically advance to more complicated structures, such as graded index waveguides, circular waveguides, and rectangular waveguides. The details of coupling light between and within waveguide modes is clearly described, and applied to the examination of photonic bandgap crystals and optical devices such as arrayed waveguides. The final section of the text discusses optoelectronic devices such as modulators and switches. These topics are very active areas of research today, and are likely to increase in significance as they mature.
From the beginning Integrated Photonics introduces numerical techniques for studying non-analytic structures. Most chapters have numerical problems designed for solution using a computational program such as Matlab or Mathematica. An entire chapter is devoted to one of the numeric simulation techniques being used in optoelectronic design (the Beam Propagation Method), and provides opportunity for students to explore some novel optical structures without too much effort. Small pieces of code are supplied where appropriate to get the reader started on the numeric work.
Integrated Photonics is designed for the senior/first year graduate student, andrequires a basic familiarity with electromagnetic waves, and the ability to solve differential equations with boundary conditions.

This book reproduces the proceedings of the last of a series of "Euroconferences" dedicated to the ongoing near-infrared sky surveys DENIS and 2MASS. It presents the current status of both projects and some of the most outstanding results they have recently achieved in various areas of galactic and extragalactic astronomy. The book contains substantial articles by researchers directly involved in the survey data processing and interpretation which thoroughly describe the astrophysical context in which deep and homogeneous near-infrared surveys will eventually bring about significant breakthrough. They deal with the determination of basic parameters of the galactic structure, the stellar content of the bulge, the construction of unbiased and statistically significant samples of isolated very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, the improvement of the low-end of the stellar luminosity and mass functions, the complete census of young stellar objects in nearby giant molecular clouds, the accurate determination of the luminosity function of late-type giants in the Magellanic Clouds and the structure of the local universe. The analysis of a very small subsample of the full expected set of data promises an extraordinary harvest of discoveries in the 21st century, especially when these data are merged with the results of major related space missions such as Hipparcos and ISO. This book would be of general interest to graduate students in astronomy and professional astronomers involved in most areas of observational astronomy.

Cathodoluminescence microscopy/spectroscopy is a powerful technique providing detailed information on the shock metamorphism of target rocks, biosignatures of meteorites and mineralogy of the pre-solar grains. Moreover, it can be used as an in-situ method to classify the solid-atmospheric-liquid interactions on the surface of Mars.

Monte Carlo methods have been a tool of theoretical and computational scientists for many years. In particular, the invention and percolation of the algorithm of Metropolis, Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Teller, and Teller sparked a rapid growth of applications to classical statistical mechanics. Although proposals for treatment of quantum systems had been made even earlier, only a few serious calculations had heen carried out. Ruch calculations are generally more consuming of computer resources than for classical systems and no universal algorithm had--or indeed has yet-- emerged. However, with advances in techniques and in sheer computing power, Monte Carlo methods have been used with considerable success in treating quantum fluids and crystals, simple models of nuclear matter, and few-body nuclei. Research at several institutions suggest that they may offer a new approach to quantum chemistry, one that is independent of basis ann yet capable of chemical accuracy. That. Monte Carlo methods can attain the very great precision needed is itself a remarkable achievement. More recently, new interest in such methods has arisen in two new a~as. Particle theorists, in particular K. Wilson, have drawn attention to the rich analogy between quantum field theoty and statistical mechanics and to the merits of Monte Carlo calculations for lattice gauge theories. This has become a rapidly growing sub-field. A related development is associated with lattice problems in quantum physics, particularly with models of solid state systems. The~ is much ferment in the calculation of various one-dimensional problems such as the'Hubbard model.

The mid-infrared domain is a promising optical domain because it holds two transparency atmospheric windows, as well as the fingerprint of many chemical compounds. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are one of the available sources in this domain and have already been proven useful for spectroscopic applications and free-space communications. This thesis demonstrates how to implement a private free-space communication relying on mid-infrared optical chaos and this requires an accurate cartography of non-linear phenomena in quantum cascade lasers. This private transmission is made possible by the chaos synchronization of two twin QCLs. Chaos in QCLs can be generated under optical injection or external optical feedback. Depending on the parameters of the optical feedback, QCLs can exhibit several non-linear phenomena in addition to chaos. Similarities exist between QCLs and laser diodes when the chaotic dropouts are synchronized with an external modulation, and this effect is known as the entrainment phenomenon. With a cross-polarization reinjection technique, QCLs can generate all-optical square-waves. Eventually, it is possible to trigger optical extreme events in QCLs with tilted optical feedback. All these experimental results allow a better understanding of the non-linear dynamics of QCLs and will extend the potential applications of this kind of semiconductor lasers.

The International Conference on Laser Physics and Quantum Optics was held in Shanghai from August 25 to August 28, 1999, to discuss many exciting new developments in laser physics and quantum optics. The international character of the conference was manifested by the fact that scientists from over 13 countries participated and lectured at the conference. There were four keynote lectures delivered by Nobel laureate Willis Lamb, Jr., Profs. H. Walther, A.E. Siegman and M.O. Scully. In addition, there were 34 invited lectures, 27 contributed oral presentations, and 59 poster papers. This volume contains many of the papers presented at the conference.

This book is mostly concerned on the experimental research of the nonlinear optical characteristics of various media, low- and high-order harmonic generation in different materials, and formation, and nonlinear optical characterization of clusters. We also demonstrate the inter-connection between these areas of nonlinear optics.
Nonlinear optical properties of media such as optical limiting can be applied in various areas of science and technology. To define suitable materials for these applications, one has to carefully analyse the nonlinear optical characteristics of various media, such as the nonlinear refractive indices, coefficients of nonlinear absorption, saturation absorption intensities, etc. Knowing the nonlinear optical parameters of materials is also important for describing the propagation effects, self-interaction of intense laser pulses, and optimisation of various nonlinear optical processes. Among those processes one can admit the importance of the studies of the frequency conversion of coherent laser sources. The area of interest for nonlinear optical characterization of materials is also closely related with new field of nanostructures formation and application during laser-matter interaction.
We show how the nonlinear optical analysis of materials leads to improvement of their high-order nonlinear optical response during the interaction with strong laser fields. Ablation-induced nanoparticles formation is correlated with their applications as efficient sources of coherent short-wavelength photons. From other side, recent achievements of harmonic generation in plasmas are closely related with the knowledge of the properties of materials in the laser plumes. All of these studies are concerned with the low-order nonlinear optical features of various materials. The novelty of the approach developed in present book is related with inter-connection of those studies with each other."

Optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published forty years ago. At the time of inception of this series, the first lasers were only just becoming operational, holography was in its infancy, subjects such as fiber optics, integrated optics and optoelectronics did not exist and quantum optics was the domain of only a few physicists. The term photonics had not yet been coined. Today these fields are flourishing and have become areas of specialization for many science and engineering students as well as numerous research workers and engineers throughout the world.

The awarding of Nobel prizes to seven physicists over the last twenty years has recognized advances in these fields. The volumes in this series now contain 240 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments. They have helped optical scientists and optical engineers to stay abreast of their fields. There is no sign that developments in optics are slowing down or becoming less interesting. We confidently expect that, just like their predecessors, future volumes of Progress in Optics will faithfully record the most important advances that are being made in optics and related fields.

The articles in this volume 43 cover a broad range of subjects, of interest to scientists concerned with optical theory or with optical devices.

This book is devoted to the formation and dynamics of localized structures (vortices, solitons) and of extended patterns (stripes, hexagons, tilted waves) in nonlinear optical resonators such as lasers, optical parametric oscillators, and the like. Theoretical analysis is performed by deriving order parameter equations, and also through numerical integration of microscopic models of the systems under investigation. Experimental observations, and possible technological implementations of transverse optical patterns are also discussed. A comparison with patterns found in other nonlinear systems, both optical systems and extended systems in general, is given.

Polarization involves the vectorial nature of light fields. In current applications of optical science, the electromagnetic description of light with its vector features has been shown to be essential: In practice, optical radiation also exhibits randomness and spatial non-uniformity of the polarization state. Moreover, propagation through photonic devices can alter the correlation properties of the light field, resulting in changes in polarization. All these vectorial properties have been gaining importance in recent years, and they are attracting increasing attention in the literature. This is the framework and the scope of the present book, which includes the authors' own contributions to these issues.

The optical trapping of colloidal matter is an unequalled field of technology for enabling precise handling of particles on microscopic scales, solely by the force of light. Although the basic concept of optical tweezers, which are based on a single laser beam, has matured and found a vast number of exciting applications, in particular in the life sciences, there are strong demands for more sophisticated approaches. This thesis gives an introductory overview of existing optical micromanipulation techniques and reviews the state-of-the-art of the emerging field of structured light fields and their applications in optical trapping, micromanipulation, and organisation. The author presents established, and introduces novel concepts for the holographic and non-holographic shaping of a light field. A special emphasis of the work is the demonstration of advanced applications of the thus created structured light fields in optical micromanipulation, utilising various geometries and unconventional light propagation properties. While most of the concepts developed are demonstrated with artificial microscopic reference particles, the work concludes with a comprehensive demonstration of optical control and alignment of bacterial cells, and hierarchical supramolecular organisation utilising dedicated nanocontainer particles.

This volume contains essays that examine the optical works of Giambattista Della Porta, an Italian natural philosopher during the Scientific Revolution. Coverage also explores the science and technology of early modern optics. Della Porta's groundbreaking book, Magia Naturalis (Natural Magic), includes a prototype of the camera. Yet, because of his obsession with magic, Della Porta's scientific achievements are often forgotten. As the contributors argue, his work inspired such great minds as Johanes Kepler and Francis Bacon. After reading this book, researchers, historians, and students will have a better appreciation of this influential scientist. They will also gain a greater understanding of an important period in the history of optics. Readers will learn about Della Porta's experimental method, a process governed by the protocols, aims, and theoretical assumptions of natural magic. Coverage also discusses the material properties and limitations of optical technology in the early 17th century, based on a recently discovered Dutch spyglass. It also demonstrates how diagrams were instrumental in the discovery of the sine law of refraction. In addition, the book includes an in-depth analysis of previously untranslated Latin sources. This makes the material useful to historians of optics unfamiliar with the language. More than 70 illustrations complement the text.

This book, now in its fourth edition, is a well-known classic on the ultrafast nonlinear and linear processes responsible for supercontinuum generation. The book begins with chapters reviewing the experimental and theoretical understanding of the field along with key applications developed since the discovery of the supercontinuum effect. The chapters that follow cover recent research activity on supercontinuum phenomena, novel applications, and advances achieved since the publication of the previous edition. The new chapters focus on: filamentation in gases, air, and condensed media; conical emission by four-wave mixing and X-waves; electronic self-phase mechanism; higher harmonics generation; attosecond laser pulses; complex vector beam supercontinuum; higher order self-phase modulation and cross-phase modulation; nonlinear supercontinuum interference in uniaxial crystals; new nonlinear microscopes involving supercontinuum and ultrafast lasers with biomedical applications; and other current supercontinuum applications in communications. The Supercontinuum Laser Source is a definitive work by one of the discoverers of the white light effect. It is indispensable reading for any researcher or student working in the field of ultrafast laser physics. Chapter 6 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book is a long-term history of optics, from early Greek theories of vision to the nineteenth-century victory of the wave theory of light. It shows how light gradually became the central entity of a domain of physics that no longer referred to the functioning of the eye; it retraces the subsequent competition between medium-based and corpuscular concepts of light; and it details the nineteenth-century flourishing of mechanical ether theories. The author critically exploits and sometimes completes the more specialized histories that have flourished in the past few years. The resulting synthesis brings out the actors' long-term memory, their dependence on broad cultural shifts, and the evolution of disciplinary divisions and connections. Conceptual precision, textual concision, and abundant illustration make the book accessible to a broad variety of readers interested in the origins of modern optics.

This updated and enlarged new edition presents a comprehensive and dedicated overview of the fundamentals and modern applications of coherent optics. Starting with the basic principles of coherence, the authors give detailed insights into the theory and applications of interferometry, holography, Fourier optics, and nonlinear optical phenomena. Especially, the chapters on current topics in nonlinear optics provide an understanding of modern implementations. To name just a few, sections on the generation and measurement of ultrashort laser pulses, optical gating, coherence tomography, digital holography, and advances in fibre optics have been added. Numerous examples and exercises with complete solutions help the readers to deepen their knowledge. This completely revised edition is intended for advanced students and active scientists working in this field.

Novel coherent light sources such as x-ray free-electron lasers open exciting prospects for the interaction of light with nuclei. The thesis "Coherent Control of Nuclei and X-rays" covers this still-developing field and proposes, in a daring attempt to revolutionize nuclear physics, three innovative schemes for taming nuclei using coherent effects. The theoretical explorations, which address control of nuclear quantum states, a nuclear memory for single photons in future photonic circuits, and optimized concepts for a nuclear clock, make use of new approaches at the borderline between nuclear physics and quantum dynamics. The result is a well written work, impressive in its stimulating style and promising ideas.

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.

This book focuses on basic fundamental and applied aspects of micro-LED, ranging from chip fabrication to transfer technology, panel integration, and various applications in fields ranging from optics to electronics to and biomedicine. The focus includes the most recent developments, including the uses in large large-area display, VR/AR display, and biomedical applications. The book is intended as a reference for advanced students and researchers with backgrounds in optoelectronics and display technology. Micro-LEDs are thin, light-emitting diodes, which have attracted considerable research interest in the last few years. They exhibit a set of exceptional properties and unique optical, electrical, and mechanical behaviors of fundamental interest, with the capability to support a range of important exciting applications that cannot be easily addressed with other technologies. The content is divided into two parts to make the book approachable to readers of various backgrounds and interests. The first provides a detailed description with fundamental materials and production approaches and assembly/manufacturing strategies designed to target readers who seek an understanding ofof essential materials and production approaches and assembly/manufacturing strategies designed to target readers who want to understand the foundational aspects. The second provides detailed, comprehensive coverage of the wide range of device applications that have been achieved. This second part targets readers who seek a detailed account of the various applications that are enabled by micro-LEDs.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the operating principles and technology of electron lenses in supercolliders. Electron lenses are a novel instrument for high energy particle accelerators, particularly for the energy-frontier superconducting hadron colliders, including the Tevatron, RHIC, LHC and future very large hadron colliders. After reviewing the issues surrounding beam dynamics in supercolliders, the book offers an introduction to the electron lens method and its application. Further chapters describe the technology behind the electron lenses which have recently been proposed, built and employed for compensation of beam-beam effects and for collimation of high-energy high-intensity beams, for compensation of space-charge effects and several other applications in accelerators. The book will be an invaluable resource for those involved in the design, construction and operation of the next generation of hadron colliders.

This book, the first dedicated to the topic, provides a comprehensive treatment of forward stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in standard optical fibers. SBS interactions between guided light and sound waves have drawn much attention for over fifty years, and optical fibers provide an excellent playground for the study of Brillouin scattering as they support guided modes of both wave types and provide long interaction lengths. This book is dedicated to forward SBS processes that are driven by co-propagating optical fields. The physics of forward SBS is explained in detail, starting from the fundamentals of interactions between guided optical and acoustic waves, with emphasis given to the acoustic modes that are stimulated in the processes. The realization of forward SBS in standard single-mode, polarization-maintaining and multi-core fibers is then discussed in depth. Innovative potential applications in sensors, monitoring of coating layers, lasers, and radio-frequency oscillators are presented. This book introduces the subject to graduate students in optics and applied physics, and it will be of interest to scientists working in fiber-optics, nonlinear optics and opto-mechanics. Provides the first treatment of forward stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in book form; Reflects the dramatic recent increase in interest in forward SBS processes , driven in part by the promise of new fiber sensing concepts; Delivers a solid and comprehensive grounding in the physics of forward SBS along with detailed experimental set-ups, measurement protocols, and applications.

On June 1St 2004 the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the Technische Universitat Miinchen bestowed the degree of the doctor honoris causa to Leopold B. Felsen, for extraordinary achievements in the theory of electromag netic fields. On this occasion on June 1St and 2nd 2004 at the Technische Universitat Miinchen a symposium on "Fields, Networks, Computational Methods, and Systems: A Modern View of Engineering Electrodynamics" in honor of Leopold B. Felsen was organized. The symposium topic focused on an important area of Leopold Felsen research interests and, as the title emphasizes, on a modern view of applied Electro dynamics. While the fundamental physical laws of electrodynamics are well known, research in this field is experiencing a steady continuous growth. The problem -solving approaches of, say, twenty years ago may seem now fairly obsolete since considerable progress has been made in the meantime. In this monograph we collect samples of present day state of the art in dealing with electromagnetic fields, their network theory representation, their computation and, finally, on system applications. The network formulation of field problems can improve the problem formulation and also contribute to the solution methodology. Network theory systematic approaches for circuit analysis are based on the separation of the circuit into the connection circuit and the circuit elements. Many applications in science and technology rely on computations of the electromagnetic field in either man-made or natural complex structures."

Particularly intense lightning discharges can produce transient luminous events above thunderclouds, termed sprites, elves and jets. These short lived optical emissions in the mesosphere can reach from the tops of thunderclouds up to the ionosphere; they provide direct evidence of coupling from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere. Sprites are arguably the most dramatic recent discovery in solar-terrestrial physics. Shortly after the first ground based video recordings of sprites, observations on board the Space Shuttle detected sprites and elves occurring all around the world. These reports led to detailed sprite observations in North America, South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Subsequently, sprites were detected from other space platforms such as the International Space Station and the ROCSAT satellite. During the past 15 years, more than 200 contributions on sprites have been published in the scientific literature to document this rapidly evolving new research area. The need for international information exchange was quickly recognized, and sprite sessions became a permanent feature with a constantly growing number of contributions in the scientific communities of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) and the European Geosciences Union EGU).