This book looks at advanced nanocomposites, introducing long-awaited concepts towards bridging the gap between nanostructured optical materials and next-generation imaging systems. It investigates nanocomposites as bulk optical materials and highlights the immense potential they hold for real-world optical elements and systems, such as smartphone cameras. It covers the full spectrum of nanocomposite optical materials from their fundamental properties to analytical modeling and detailed application examples. This book also provides an in-depth discussion of the role these new materials play in the development of broadband flat optics - diffractive optical elements used for enhancing high-end broadband imaging systems. Written by an industry expert, this book seamlessly connects fundamental research and real-world applications. It is the ideal guide both for optical engineers working towards integrating new technologies, and researchers involved with fundamental research on optical materials.

Light scattering from particles in the nanometric and micrometric size range is relevant in several research fields, such as aerosol science and nanotechnology. In many applications, the description of the optical properties of non-spherical, inhomogeneous particles is still inadequate or requires demanding numerical calculations. Lorenz-Mie scattering and effective medium approximations represent currently the main theoretical tools to model such particles, but their effectiveness has been recently called into question. This work examines how the morphology of a particle affects its scattering parameters from an experimental standpoint, supporting findings with extensive simulations. The dust content of Antarctic, Greenlandic, and Alpine ice cores is analysed with a particle-by-particle approach. Moreover, a study on colloidal aggregates shows that correlations among the fields radiated by primary particles are responsible for the poor agreement of effective medium approximations with experimental results. On the theoretical side, an interpretation in terms of the structure factor is given, which satisfactorily describes the data. The insights of this thesis are relevant for quantifying the contribution of mineral dust to the radiative energy balance of the Earth.

The book focuses on the topology optimization method for nano-optics. Both principles and implementing practice have been addressed, with more weight placed on applications. This is achieved by providing an in-depth study on the major topic of topology optimization of dielectric and metal structures for nano-optics with extension to the surface structures for electromagnetics. The comprehensive and systematic treatment of practical issues in topology optimization for nano-optics is one of the major features of the book, which is particularly suited for readers who are interested to learn practical solutions in topology optimization. The book can benefit researchers, engineers, and graduate students in the fields of structural optimization, nano-optics, wave optics, electromagnetics, etc.

This book provides wide-ranging coverage of current developments in biomedical sensing based on photonic techniques. Biomedical sensing is a dynamic topic that promises to deliver much in the future evolution of medical diagnostics, delivering advanced tools for fundamental research in biology at the micrometre and nanometre scales. The book explores a variety of alternative physical and biological methodologies that have become available for application, such as plasmonic sensors and photonic crystal biosensors. At the same time, it addresses issues that potentially limit the capability of biomedical optical sensing techniques, while reviewing the state-of-the-art in biomedical optical sensing for the future work that will lead to near-universal applications of such techniques. Edited and written by leading experts in this domain, this book is ideal as a comprehensive manual for researchers and graduate students.

Nonlinear Wave and Plasma Structures in the Auroral and Subauroral Geospace presents a comprehensive examination of the self-consistent processes leading to multiscale electromagnetic and plasma structures in the magnetosphere and ionosphere near the plasmapause, particularly in the auroral and subauroral geospace. It utilizes simulations and a large number of relevant in situ measurements conducted by the most recent satellite missions, as well as ground-based optical and radar observations to verify the conclusions and analysis. Including several case studies of observations related to prominent geospacer events, the book also provides experimental and numerical results throughout the chapters to further enhance understanding of how the same physical mechanisms produce different phenomena at different regions of the near-Earth space environment. Additionally, the comprehensive description of mechanisms responsible for space weather effects will give readers a broad foundation of wave and particle processes in the near-Earth magnetosphere. As such, Nonlinear Wave and Plasma Structures in the Auroral and Subauroral Geospace Nonlinear Wave and Plasma Structures in the Auroral and Subauroral Geospace is a cutting-edge reference for space physicists looking to better understand plasma physics in geospace.

In 1954, Charles Townes invented the laser's microwave cousin, the maser. The next logical step was to extend the same physical principles to the shorter wavelengths of light, but the idea did not catch fire until October 1957, when Townes asked Gordon Gould about Gould's research on using light to excite thallium atoms. Each took the idea and ran with it. The independent-minded Gould sought the fortune of an independent inventor; the professorial Townes sought the fame of scientific recognition. Townes enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, Arthur Schawlow, and got Bell Labs into the race. Gould turned his ideas into a patent application and a million-dollar defense contract. They soon had company. Ali Javan, one of Townes's former students, began pulling 90-hour weeks at Bell Labs with colleague Bill Bennett. And far away in California a bright young physicist named Ted Maiman became a very dark horse in the race. While Schawlow proclaimed that ruby could never make a laser, Maiman slowly convinced himself it would. As others struggled with recalcitrant equipment and military secrecy, Maiman built a tiny and elegant device that fit in the palm of his hand. His ruby laser worked the first time he tried it, on May 16, 1960, but afterwards he had to battle for acceptance as the man who made the first laser. Beam is a fascinating tale of a remarkable and powerful invention that has become a symbol of modern technology.

This report presents an account of the course "Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Solids: Advances and Applications" held in Erice, Italy, from June 16 to 30, 1993. This meeting was organized by the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The purpose of this course was to present and discuss physical models, mathematical formalisms, experimental techniques, and applications relevant to the subject of nonlinear spectroscopy of solid state materials. The universal availability and application of lasers in spectroscopy has led to the widespread observation of nonlinear effects in the spectroscopy of materials. Nonlinear spectroscopy encompasses many physical phenomena which have their origin in the monochromaticity, spectral brightness, coherence, power density and tunability of laser sources. Conventional spectroscopy assumes a linear dependence between the applied electromagnetic field and the induced polarization of atoms and molecules. The validity of this assumption rests on the fact that even the most powerful conventional sources of light produce a light intensity which is not strong enough to equalize the rate of stimulated emission and that of the experimentally observed decay. A different situation may arise when laser light sources are used, particularly pulsed lasers. The use of such light sources can make the probability of induced emission comparable to, or even greater than, the probability of the observed decay; in such cases the nonlinearity of the response of the system is revealed by the experimental data and new properties, not detectable by conventional spectroscopy, will emerge.

This book presents recent outcomes of the collaborative "Tricorder" project, which brings together partners from industry, research institutes and hospitals to deliver an easy contactless alternative for electrocardiograms (ECG). Featuring contributions investigating the possible applications of laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) signals for the remote measurement of vital parameters of the heart, the book provides insights into the vision and the history of the "Tricorder" project and the basic differences between the vibrocardiograms and electrocardiograms. It also discusses topics such as signal processing, heartbeat measurement techniques, respiration frequency and oxygen saturation determination, with a particular focus on the diagnostic value of the method presented, e.g., diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and estimation of the oxygen saturation in premature infants. Further, the authors review the advantages and drawbacks of the new method and the specific fields of application. This book will appeal to researchers and industry leaders interested in laser remote sensing for medical applications as well as medical professionals curious about new healthcare technologies.

This book, the first of a two-volume set, focuses on the basic physical principles of blackbody radiometry and describes artificial sources of blackbody radiation, widely used as sources of optical radiation, whose energy characteristics can be calculated on the base of fundamental physical laws. Following a review of radiometric quantities, radiation laws, and radiative heat transfer, it introduces the basic principles of blackbody radiators design, details of their practical implementation, and methods of measuring their defining characteristics, as well as metrological aspects of blackbody-based measurements. Chapters are dedicated to the effective emissivity concept, methods of increasing effective emissivities, their measurement and modeling using the Monte Carlo method, techniques of blackbody radiators heating, cooling, isothermalization, and measuring their temperature. An extensive and comprehensive reference source, this book is of considerable value to students, researchers, and engineers involved in any aspect of blackbody radiometry.

This book reviews the spaceborne and airborne remote sensing of clouds including cloud lidar and radar data analysis, snow and soil reflectance spectroscopy, and single light scattering by nonspherical scatterers. Providing deep insights into the latest technologies, it is a valuable resource for scientists and postgraduate students alike.

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 book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the AMOLED technologies and applications which have become industry standard in a range of devices, from small mobile displays to large televisions. Unlike other books on the topic, which cover the fundamentals, materials, processing, and manufacturing of OLEDs, this one-stop book discusses the core components, such as TFT backplanes, OLED materials and devices, and driving schematics together in one volume with chapters written by experts from leading international companies in the field of OLED materials and OLED TVs. It also examines emerging areas, such as micro-LEDs, displays using quantum dots, and AR & VR displays. Presenting the latest research trends as well as the basic principles of each topic, this book is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking display-related courses, new researchers, and engineers in related fields.

This thesis presents a comprehensive theoretical description of classical and quantum aspects of plasmonics in three and two dimensions, and also in transdimensional systems containing elements with different dimensionalities. It focuses on the theoretical understanding of the salient features of plasmons in nanosystems as well as on the multifaceted aspects of plasmon-enhanced light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. Special emphasis is given to the modeling of nonclassical behavior across the transition regime bridging the classical and the quantum domains. The research presented in this dissertation provides useful tools for understanding surface plasmons in various two- and three-dimensional nanostructures, as well as quantum mechanical effects in their response and their joint impact on light-matter interactions at the extreme nanoscale. These contributions constitute novel and solid advancements in the research field of plasmonics and nanophotonics that will help guide future experimental investigations in the blossoming field of nanophotonics, and also facilitate the design of the next generation of truly nanoscale nanophotonic devices.

This book highlights the new technologies and applications presented at the 2021 International Conference on Precision Instruments and Optical Engineering held in Chengdu, China from 25 to 27 August 2021. The conference aimed to provide a platform for researchers and professionals to share research findings, discuss cutting-edge technologies, promote collaborations and fuel the industrial transition of new technologies. The invited and contributed papers covered recent developments in optoelectronic devices, nanophotonic research, optoelectronic materials, precision instruments, intelligent instruments, laser technology, optical spectroscopy and other optical engineering topics. The book is intended for researchers, engineers and advanced students interested in precision instruments and optical engineering and their applications in diverse fields.

This book highlights the synthesis/fabrication of novel materials for different kinds of optical applications. It covers all aspects of optical applications starting from LED/Lasers, SERS, bio-sensing, bio-imaging and non-linear optical applications such as optical limiting, saturable absorbers etc. The book describes the development of novel materials and geometry as well as engineering of their size and shape for harvesting better optical properties. Nonconventional plasmonic materials and their fabrication are discussed apart from the conventionally employed noble metal based nanosystems. In addition, development of Novel materials/structures for biosensing /bioimaging /optical limiting are also covered.

This book presents photoelectron spectroscopy as a valuable method for studying the electronic structures of various solid materials in the bulk state, on surfaces, and at buried interfaces. This second edition introduces the advanced technique of high-resolution and high-efficiency spin- and momentum-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using a novel momentum microscope, enabling high-precision measurements down to a length scale of some tens of nanometers. The book also deals with fundamental concepts and approaches to applying this and other complementary techniques, such as inverse photoemission, photoelectron diffraction, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, as well as photon spectroscopy based on (soft) x-ray absorption and resonance inelastic (soft) x-ray scattering. This book is the ideal tool to expand readers' understanding of this marvelously versatile experimental method, as well as the electronic structures of metals and insulators.

Remarkable recent progress in quantum optics has given rise to extremely precise quantum measurements that are used in the research into the fundamentals of quantum physics, and in different branches of physics such as optical spectroscopy. This progress stimulates new technologies in the field of optical communications, optical computation and information systems. This state-of-the-art volume presents work from a Summer School on Advances in Quantum Optics and Spectroscopy of Solids, held in Ankara, Turkey, in 1995. The various contributions written by leading scientists in the field cover a wide range of subjects in this exciting area of physics, and report new and important results and ideas. Topics dealt with include the interaction of quantum light with trapped atoms and condensed matter; quantum tomography and phase analysis; and many applications of quantum optics from mesoscopic physics to correlation spectroscopy of non-classical states, which are of major importance in understanding the nature of collective excitations in solids. Audience: This book will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers whose work involves quantum optics, solid state spectroscopy and its applications.

This book contains the latest scientific findings in the area of granular materials, their physical fundamentals and applications in particle technology focused on the description of interactions of fine adhesive particles.In collaboration between physicists, chemists, mathematicians and mechanics and process engineers from 24 universities, new theories and methods for multiscale modeling and reliable measurement of particles are developed, with a focus on:* Basic physical-chemical processes in the contact zone: particle-particle and particle-wall contacts,* Particle collisions and their dynamics* Constitutive material laws for particle systems on the macro level.

The book presents solutions to a complex of internal and external problems of electromagnetics associated with the development of theory, construction of mathematical models and the development of rigorous methods for calculating the electrodynamic characteristics of combined vibrator-slot structures. The solutions of problems for determining the characteristics of impedance vibrator and slot radiators with arbitrary geometric and electrophysical parameters presented in the monograph were obtained within the framework of the unified methodological approach to construct asymptotic solutions of integral equations on currents and their systems. This approach made it possible to study a number of new combined vibrator-slot structures. The research results reveal the possibilities of using such structures as basic elements in the creation of modern antenna-waveguide devices operating in the ranges from meter to millimeter wavelengths, with new technical characteristics and functional purpose. The book is intended for senior and postgraduate students and researchers working in the fields of radiophysics, radio engineering and antenna-feeder design. The book covers the following topics: * excitation of electromagnetic waves in volumes with coordinate boundaries;* general issues of the theory of thin impedance vibrators and narrow slots in a spatial-frequency representation;* solution of current equations for isolated vibrator and slot scatterers;* combined radiating vibrator-slot structures in rectangular waveguide;* T-junctions of rectangular waveguides with vibrator-slot structures in coupling areas;* waveguide radiation of the combined vibrator-slot structures;* combined vibrator-slot structures located on a perfectly conducting sphere;* combined vibrator-slot Radiators in antenna arrays;* ultrawideband vibrator-slot structures;

This book covers the fundamental aspects of fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, and includes a wide range of material from laser physics fundamentals to state-of-the-art topics in this rapidly growing field of quantum electronics. This expanded and updated new edition includes substantial new material on nonlinear frequency conversion and Raman fiber lasers and amplifiers, as well as an expanded list of references inclusive of the recent literature in the field. Emphasis is placed on the nonlinear processes taking place in fiber lasers and amplifiers, their similarities, differences to, and their advantages over other solid-state lasers. The reader will learn the basic principles of solid-state physics and optical spectroscopy of laser active centers in fibers, the main operational laser regimes, and will receive practical recommendations and suggestions on fiber laser research, laser applications, and laser product development. The book will be useful for students, researchers, and professional physicists and engineers who work with lasers in the optical and telecommunications field, as well as those in the chemical and biological industries.

The Seventh Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics was held on the campus of the University of Rochester during the four-day period June 7 - 10, 1996. More than 280 scientists from 33 countries participated. This book contains the Proceedings of the meeting. This Conference differed from the previous six in the series in having only a limited number of oral presentations, in order to avoid too many parallel sessions. Another new feature was the introduction of tutorial lectures. Most contributed papers were presented in poster sessions. The Conference was sponsored by the American Physical Society, by the Optical Society of America, by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and by the University of Rochester. We wish to express our appreciation to these organizations for their support and we especially extend our thanks to the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics for providing financial assistance to a number of speakers from Third World countries, to enable them to take part in the meeting.

A systematic account of the current status of holographic recognition systems, including their theory, principles of construction, and applications. Discusses statistical image recognition methods, optical data processing, principles of holographic correlator construction, holographic character read