This work studies the relaxation dynamics of molecules in both the gas and liquid phases after strong field ionization, using transient absorption in the soft X-rays. In particular, the thesis presents the first realization of time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the spectral water window with a laser-based HHG source. These remarkable experiments were not only performed for isolated molecules, but also in liquids, for which the spectral coverage of the K-edges of C, N, and O are of primary importance for investigating biological molecules. The technique relies on the generation of high-order harmonics to further probe the electronic structure of molecules. Using the atomic selectivity of high energies and the temporal coherence of laser technology, we demonstrate the observation of the first stages of chemical transformation of matter in the gas and liquid phases.

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.

Quantum information science is a new field of science and technology which requires the collaboration of researchers coming from different fields of physics, mathematics, and engineering: both theoretical and applied. Quantum Computing and Quantum Bits in Mesoscopic Systems addresses fundamental aspects of quantum physics, enhancing the connection between the quantum behavior of macroscopic systems and information theory. In addition to theoretical quantum physics, the book comprehensively explores practical implementation of quantum computing and information processing devices.
On the experimental side, this book reports on recent and previous observations of quantum behavior in several physical systems, coherently coupled Bose-Einstein condensates, quantum dots, superconducting quantum interference devices, Cooper pair boxes, and electron pumps in the context of the Josephson effect. In these systems, the book discusses all required steps, from fabrication through characterization to the final basic implementation for quantum computing.

The need for both intrinsic and extrinsic fiber-optic sensor technologies continues to grow. To meet the demands of this fast-expanding applications-driven market, this book, Fiber-Optic-Based Sensing Systems, presents both the latest advances in fiber-optic sensor technology, such as applications of photonic crystal fibers to fiber optic gyroscopes and recent application opportunities, including the use of fiber optic sensors as a minimally invasive medical treatment and in structural health monitoring. The book highlights the development of fiber optic sensors while also providing an overview of current methods for the construction of high-speed and high-capacity fiber-optic systems. It provides a thorough presentation of novel fiber-optic based sensing systems with state-of-the-art signal processing of the interferometric signals. Key features: Highlights the uniqueness of the fiber-optics sensors Presents state-of-the-art technology in optical fiber sensors Discusses a variety of fiber-optic topologies Considers different detection techniques Gives special attention to distributed fiber-optic sensing systems Dealing with the applicative aspects of using optical fibers as the sensing medium as well as the medium for transmitting the corresponding optical signals to the receiving unit, the book discusses the basic optical phenomena with their main emphasis on applying the optical knowledge for solving real-life engineering problems. Basic tools and concepts are presented in the earlier chapters, which are then developed in more detail in the later chapters. The book is organized in seven chapters covering a broad range of fiber-optical sensing phenomena. Written for undergraduate and graduate students who want to broaden their knowledge of fiber-optic sensing system applications to the real-life engineering problems, the volume is also valuable for engineers who want to acquire the basic principles of optics, especially fiber-optics.

Semiconductor lasers are small, reliable, low cost, high-performance and user-friendly optical devices which make them highly suitable for a variety of biomedical applications. This edited book gathers experts in the field to cover the fundamentals and technology advances of semiconductor lasers and diode-based lasers with a focus on their applications in medical optics and biophotonics including edge-emitting semiconductor lasers and light emitting diodes, Q-switched and mode-locked lasers, quantum cascade lasers, semiconductor disk lasers, near-infrared spectroscopy systems for biomedical applications, bio-medical Raman spectroscopy, nonlinear imaging and optical coherence tomography.

Defects in Nanocrystals: Structural and Physico-Chemical Aspects discusses the nature of semiconductor systems and the effect of the size and shape on their thermodynamic and optoelectronic properties at the mesoscopic and nanoscopic levels. The nanostructures considered in this book are individual nanometric crystallites, nanocrystalline films, and nanowires of which the thermodynamic, structural, and optical properties are discussed in detail. The work: Outlines the influence of growth processes on their morphology and structure Describes the benefits of optical spectroscopies in the understanding of the role and nature of defects in nanostructured semiconductors Considers the limits of nanothermodynamics Details the critical role of interfaces in nanostructural behavior Covers the importance of embedding media in the physico-chemical properties of nanostructured semiconductors Explains the negligible role of core point defects vs. surface and interface defects Written for researchers, engineers, and those working in the physical and physicochemical sciences, this work comprehensively details the chemical, structural, and optical properties of semiconductor nanostructures for the development of more powerful and efficient devices.

A benchmark publication, the first edition of the Phosphor Handbook, published in 1998, set the standard for references in the field. The second edition, updated and published in 2007, began exploring new and emerging fields. However, in the last 14 years, since the second edition was published, many notable advances and broader phosphor applications have occurred. Completely revised, updated, and expanded into three separate volumes, this third edition of the Handbook covers the most recent developments in phosphor research, characterization, and applications. This volume on 'Novel Phosphors, Synthesis, and Applications' provides the descriptions of synthesis and optical properties of phosphors used in different applications, including the novel phosphors for some newly developed applications. The chapters in this book cover: Various LED-based phosphors and their synthesis and applications Ingenious integrated smart phosphors and their novel optoelectronic and photonic devices Quantum dot, single crystalline, and glass phosphors Upconversion nanoparticles for super-resolution imaging and photonic and biological applications Special phosphors for laser, OLED, energy storage, quantum cutting, thermometry, photosynthesis, AC-driven LED, and solar cells

A benchmark publication, the first edition of the Phosphor Handbook, published in 1998, set the standard for references in the field. The second edition, updated and published in 2007, began exploring new and emerging fields. However, in the last 14 years, since the second edition was published, many notable advances and broader phosphor applications have occurred. Completely revised, updated, and expanded into three separate volumes, this third edition of the Handbook covers the most recent developments in phosphor research, characterization, and applications. This volume on 'Experimental Methods for Phosphor Evaluation and Characterization' addresses the theoretical and experimental methods for phosphor evaluation and characterization. The chapters in the book cover: First principle and DFT analysis of optical, structural, and chemical properties of phosphors Phosphor design and tuning through structure and solid solution Design for IR, NIR, and narrowband emission and thermally stable phosphors and nanophosphors Detailed illustration for measurement of the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of phosphors Phosphor analysis through photoionization, high pressure, and synchrotron radiation studies

Quantum mechanics has shown unprecedented success as a physical theory, but it has forced a new view on the description of physical reality. In recent years, important progress has been achieved both in the theory of open quantum systems and in the experimental realization and control of such systems. A great deal of the new results is concerned with the characterization and quantification of quantum memory effects. From this perspective, the 684. WE-Heraeus-Seminar has brought together scientists from different communities, both theoretical and experimental, sharing expertise on open quantum systems, as well as the commitment to the understanding of quantum mechanics. This book consists of many contributions addressing the diversified physics community interested in foundations of quantum mechanics and its applications and it reports about recent results in open quantum systems and their connection with the most advanced experiments testing quantum mechanics.

* Provides an accessible introduction to the topic, whilst keeping mathematics to a minimum * Interdisciplinary topic with growing relevance and wide-ranging applications * Accompanied by numerical examples throughout

An Up-to-Date Compendium on the Physics and Mathematics of Polarization Phenomena Now thoroughly revised, Polarized Light and the Mueller Matrix Approach cohesively integrates basic concepts of polarization phenomena from the dual viewpoints of the states of polarization of electromagnetic waves and the transformations of these states by the action of material media. Through selected examples, it also illustrates actual and potential applications in materials science, biology, and optics technology. The book begins with the basic concepts related to two- and three-dimensional polarization states. It next describes the nondepolarizing linear transformations of the states of polarization through the Jones and Mueller-Jones approaches. The authors then discuss the forms and properties of the Jones and Mueller matrices associated with different types of nondepolarizing media, address the foundations of the Mueller matrix, and delve more deeply into the analysis of the physical parameters associated with Mueller matrices. The authors proceed with introducing the arbitrary decomposition and other useful parallel decompositions, and compare the powerful serial decompositions of depolarizing Mueller matrices. They also analyze the general formalism and specific algebraic quantities and notions related to the concept of differential Mueller matrix. Useful approaches that provide a geometric point of view on the polarization effects exhibited by different types of media are also comprehensively described. The book concludes with a new chapter devoted to the main procedures for filtering measured Mueller matrices. Suitable for advanced graduates and more seasoned professionals, this book covers the main aspects of polarized radiation and polarization effects of material media. It expertly combines physical and mathematical concepts with important approaches for representing media through equivalent systems composed of simple components.

This book introduces readers to the cutting-edge topic of nanophotonic photochemical reactions and their applications. From among the various innovations in optical technology achieved by means of the non-uniform optical near field, it focuses on photochemical reactions at the nanoscale. Optical near fields are the elementary surface excitations of nanometric particles with non-uniform field distributions. After reviewing the unique properties of the non-uniform optical field, the book presents a range of applications of near-field assisted photochemical reactions, including near-field etching, visible water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction and reactions in solar cells.

The Progress in Optics series contains more than 300 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments, helping optical scientists and optical engineers stay abreast of their fields.

This textbook offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to electrodynamics, one of the core components of undergraduate physics courses. The first part of the book describes the interaction of electric charges and magnetic moments by introducing electro- and magnetostatics. The second part of the book establishes deeper understanding of electrodynamics with the Maxwell equations, quasistationary fields and electromagnetic fields. All sections are accompanied by a detailed introduction to the math needed. Ideally suited to undergraduate students with some grounding in classical and analytical mechanics, the book is enhanced throughout with learning features such as boxed inserts and chapter summaries, with key mathematical derivations highlighted to aid understanding. The text is supported by numerous worked examples and end of chapter problem sets. About the Theoretical Physics series Translated from the renowned and highly successful German editions, the eight volumes of this series cover the complete core curriculum of theoretical physics at undergraduate level. Each volume is self-contained and provides all the material necessary for the individual course topic. Numerous problems with detailed solutions support a deeper understanding. Wolfgang Nolting is famous for his refined didactical style and has been referred to as the "German Feynman" in reviews.

This book highlights the novel research in quantum memory networking, especially quantum memories based on cold atomic ensembles. After discussing the frontiers of quantum networking research and building a DLCZ-type quantum memory with cold atomic ensemble, the author develops the ring cavity enhanced quantum memory and demonstrates a filter-free quantum memory, which significantly improves the photon-atom entanglement. The author then realizes for the first time the GHZ-type entanglement of three separate quantum memories, a building block of 2D quantum repeaters and quantum networks. The author also combines quantum memories and time-resolved measurements, and reports the first multiple interference of three single photons with different colors. The book is of good reference value for graduate students, researchers, and technical personnel in quantum information sciences.

This book highlights the growing applications of THz technology and various modules used for their successful realization. The enormous advantages of THz devices like higher resolution, spatial directivity, high-speed communication, greater bandwidth, non-ionizing signal nature and compactness make them useful in various applications like communication, sensing, security, safety, spectroscopy, manufacturing, bio-medical, agriculture, imaging, etc. Since the THz radiation covers frequencies from 0.1THz to around 10THz and highly attenuated by atmospheric gases, they are used in short-distance applications only. The book focuses on recent advances and different research issues in terahertz technology and presents theoretical, methodological, well-established and validated empirical works dealing with the different topics.

This book provides readers with a detailed overview of second- and third-order nonlinearities in various nanostructures, as well as their potential applications. Interest in the field of nonlinear optics has grown exponentially in recent years and, as a result, there is increasing research on novel nonlinear phenomena and the development of nonlinear photonic devices. Thus, such a book serves as a comprehensive guide for researchers in the field and those seeking to become familiar with it. This text focuses on the nonlinear properties of nanostructured systems that arise as a result of optical wave mixing. The authors present a review of nonlinear optical processes on the nanoscale and provide theoretical descriptions for second and third-order optical nonlinearities in nanostructures such as carbon allotropes, metallic nanostructures, semiconductors, nanocrystals, and complex geometries. Here, the characterization and potential applications of these nanomaterials are also discussed. The factors that determine the nonlinear susceptibility in these systems are identified as well as the influence of physical mechanisms emerging from resonance and off-resonance excitations. In addition, the authors detail the effects driven by important phenomena such as quantum confinement, localized surface plasmon resonance, Fano resonances, bound states, and the Purcell effect on specific nanostructured systems. Readers are provided with a groundwork for future research as well as new perspectives in this growing field.

Semiconductor quantum optics is on the verge of moving from the lab to real world applications. When stepping from basic research to new technologies, device engineers will need new simulation tools for the design and optimization of quantum light sources, which combine classical device physics with cavity quantum electrodynamics. This thesis aims to provide a holistic description of single-photon emitting diodes by bridging the gap between microscopic and macroscopic modeling approaches. The central result is a novel hybrid quantum-classical model system that self-consistently couples semi-classical carrier transport theory with open quantum many-body systems. This allows for a comprehensive description of quantum light emitting diodes on multiple scales: It enables the calculation of the quantum optical figures of merit together with the simulation of the spatially resolved current flow in complex, multi-dimensional semiconductor device geometries out of one box. The hybrid system is shown to be consistent with fundamental laws of (non-)equilibrium thermodynamics and is demonstrated by numerical simulations of realistic devices.

Perovskite is a well-known structure with the chemical formula ABX3, where A and B are cations coordinated with 12 and 6 anions, respectively, and X is an anion. When a halogen anion is used, the monovalent A and divalent B cations can be stabilized with respect to a tolerance factor ranging from ~0.8 to 1. Since the first report on ~10% efficiency and long-term stability of solid-state perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in 2012 and two subsequent seed reports on perovskite-sensitized solar cells in 2009 and 2011, PSCs have received increasing attention. The power conversion efficiency of PSCs was certified to be more than 25% in 2020, surpassing thin-film solar cell technologies. Methylammonium or formamidinium organic ion-based lead iodide perovskite has been used for high-efficiency PSCs. The first report on solid-state PSCs triggered perovskite photovoltaics, leading to more than 23,000 publications as of October 2021. In addition, halide perovskite has shown excellent performance when applied to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors, and resistive memory, indicating that halide perovskite is multifunctional. This book explains the electro-optical and ferroelectric properties of perovskite and details the recent progress in scalable and tandem PSCs as well as perovskite LEDs and resistive memory. It is a useful textbook and self-help study guide for advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level students of materials science and engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, and nanotechnology; for researchers in photovoltaics, LEDs, resistive memory, and perovskite-related opto-electronics; and for general readers who wish to gain knowledge about halide perovskite.

This volume focuses on fundamental aspects of nano-electro-optics. Starting with fiber probes and related devices for generating and detecting the optical near-field with high efficiency and resolution, the next chapter addresses the modulation of an electron beam by optical near-fields. Further topics include: fluorescence spectroscopy, in which sample molecules are excited by the evanescent surface plasmon field close to metallic surfaces; spatially resolved near-field photoluminescence spectroscopy of semiconductor quantum dots, which will become an essential issue in future electro-optical devices and systems; and, finally, the quantum theory of the optical near-field. This latter theory accounts for all the essential features of the interaction between optical near-fields and nanomaterials, atoms and molecules. Together these overviews will be a valuable resource for engineers and scientists working in the field of nano-electro-optics.

Features the latest advances in silicon photonics for high performance computing systems and data centers Discusses the industries latest technologies and advances to enable silicon photonics integration into HPC systems and data centers Describes the latest advances in electronic-photonic cointegration and challenges Written by internationally recognized contributors Delves into silicon photonics design automation, challenges, and solutions

Produced by an award-winning translator of Henri Poincare, this book contains translations of several seminal articles by Poincare and discusses the experimental and theoretical investigations of electrons that form their context. In the 1950s, a dispute ignited about the origin of the theory of special relativity and thrust considerable notoriety on a paper written by Henri Poincare in 1905. Accordingly, Part I presents the relevant translations of Poincare's work showing that radiation carries momentum and the covariance of the equations of electrodynamics, the continuity equation for charge, and the spacetime interval. Part II then discusses investigations by Thomson, Becquerel, and Kaufmann of electrons in diverse contexts; contributions of Abraham, Lorentz and Poincare to a theory of electrons that includes Lorentz transformations and explains the dependence of mass on velocity; and finally, Poincare's exploration of the relativity principle, electron stability, and gravitation while rejecting absolute motion (ether) and an electromagnetic origin of mass. Part III contains the 1904 article by H. A. Lorentz presenting his transformations.This book will be a fascinating read to graduate-level students, physicists, and science historians who are interested in the development of electrodynamics and the classical, relativistic theory of electrons at the beginning of the 20th century.

The huge progress which has been achieved in the field is covered here, in the first comprehensive monograph on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) since eight years. Apart from chapters reviewing the research field and the laser fundamentals, there are comprehensive updates on red and blue emitting VCSELs, telecommunication VCSELs, optical transceivers, and parallel-optical links for computer interconnects. Entirely new contributions are made to the fields of vectorial three-dimensional optical modeling, single-mode VCSELs, polarization control, polarization dynamics, very-high-speed design, high-power emission, use of high-contrast gratings, GaInNAsSb long-wavelength VCSELs, optical video links, VCSELs for optical mice and sensing, as well as VCSEL-based laser printing. The book appeals to researchers, optical engineers and graduate students.