This book presents the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary review of the rapidly developing field of air lasing. In most applications of lasers, such as cutting and engraving, the laser source is brought to the point of service where the laser beam is needed to perform its function. However, in some important applications such as remote atmospheric sensing, placing the laser at a convenient location is not an option. Current sensing schemes rely on the detection of weak backscattering of ground-based, forward-propagating optical probes, and possess limited sensitivity. The concept of air lasing (or atmospheric lasing) relies on the idea that the constituents of the air itself can be used as an active laser medium, creating a backward-propagating, impulsive, laser-like radiation emanating from a remote location in the atmosphere. This book provides important insights into the current state of development of air lasing and its applications.

This book presents a survey of modern theoretical and experimental techniques in studies of light scattering phenomena and radiative transfer processes in random media. It presents reviews on light scattering by sea water and bubbles, and includes a separate chapter addressing studies of the remote sensing of crystalline clouds with a focus on the shape of particles-a parameter rarely studied by passive remote sensing techniques. In particular, it offers a comprehensive analysis of polarized radiative transfer in optically active (e.g., chiral) light scattering media and explores advances in spectro-polarimetry of particulate media. Lastly it discusses new developments in light scattering for combustion monitoring.

Plasmons - quantized plasma oscillations at the interface of a metal and a dielectric allow for novel applications in sensing and micro-electronics. This graduate textbook introduces the required aspects of classical electrodynamics as well as basics of free electron plasmas. Further, the creation of polaritons due to plasmon interaction with light is discussed. Besides theory, computational methods for electrodynamics are introduced.

This edition contains carefully selected contributions by leading scientists in high-resolution laser spectroscopy, quantum optics and laser physics. Emphasis is given to ultrafast laser phenomena, implementations of frequency combs, precision spectroscopy and high resolution metrology. Furthermore, applications of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics are widely covered. This book is dedicated to Nobel prize winner Theodor W. Hansch on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The contributions are reprinted from a topical collection published in Applied Physics B, 2016. Selected contributions are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com. Please see the copyright page for further details.

This thesis presents an experimental study of quantum memory based on cold atomic ensembles and discusses photonic entanglement. It mainly focuses on experimental research on storing orbital angular momentum, and introduces readers to methods for storing a single photon carried by an image or an entanglement of spatial modes. The thesis also discusses the storage of photonic entanglement using the Raman scheme as a step toward implementing high-bandwidth quantum memory. The storage of photonic entanglement is central to achieving long-distance quantum communication based on quantum repeaters and scalable linear optical quantum computation. Addressing this key issue, the findings presented in the thesis are very promising with regard to future high-speed and high-capacity quantum communications.

This large blank hardback book is designed for use as a magic journal. Handsomely designed with an embossed silver pentacle on a black imitation leather background. The pages are unlined and the paper is chosen for use with most types of ink, pencil, gouache etc..

This thesis presents results crucial to the emerging field of indirect excitons. These specially designed quasiparticles give the unique opportunity to study fundamental properties of quantum degenerate Bose gases in semiconductors. Furthermore, indirect excitons allow for the creation of novel optoelectronic devices where excitons are used in place of electrons. Excitonic devices are explored for the development of advanced signal processing seamlessly coupled with optical communication. The thesis presents and describes the author's imaging experiments that led to the discovery of spin transport of excitons. The many firsts presented herein include the first studies of an excitonic conveyer, leading to the discovery of the dynamical localization-delocalization transition for excitons, and the first excitonic ramp and excitonic diode with no energy-dissipating voltage gradient.

Presents recent developments in theoretical and experimental research of nanophotonics Discusses properties and features of nanophotonic devices, e.g. scanning near-field optical microscopy, nanofi ber/nanowire based photonic devices Illustrates the most promising nanophotonic devices and instruments and their application Suits well for researchers and graduates in nanophotonics field Contents Scanning near-field optical microscopy Nanofibers/nanowires and their applications in photonic components and devices Micro/nano-optoelectronic devices based on photonic crystal

This book maximizes reader insights into the field of mathematical models and methods for the processing of two-dimensional remote sensing images. It presents a broad analysis of the field, encompassing passive and active sensors, hyperspectral images, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), interferometric SAR, and polarimetric SAR data. At the same time, it addresses highly topical subjects involving remote sensing data types (e.g., very high-resolution images, multiangular or multiresolution data, and satellite image time series) and analysis methodologies (e.g., probabilistic graphical models, hierarchical image representations, kernel machines, data fusion, and compressive sensing) that currently have primary importance in the field of mathematical modelling for remote sensing and image processing. Each chapter focuses on a particular type of remote sensing data and/or on a specific methodological area, presenting both a thorough analysis of the previous literature and a methodological and experimental discussion of at least two advanced mathematical methods for information extraction from remote sensing data. This organization ensures that both tutorial information and advanced subjects are covered. With each chapter being written by research scientists from (at least) two different institutions, it offers multiple professional experiences and perspectives on each subject. The book also provides expert analysis and commentary from leading remote sensing and image processing researchers, many of whom serve on the editorial boards of prestigious international journals in these fields, and are actively involved in international scientific societies. Providing the reader with a comprehensive picture of the overall advances and the current cutting-edge developments in the field of mathematical models for remote sensing image analysis, this book is ideal as both a reference resource and a textbook for graduate and doctoral students as well as for remote sensing scientists and practitioners.

This thesis unites the fields of optical atomic clocks and ultracold molecular science, laying the foundation for optical molecular measurements of unprecedented precision. Building upon optical manipulation techniques developed by the atomic clock community, this work delves into attaining surgical control of molecular quantum states. The thesis develops two experimental observables that one can measure with optical-lattice-trapped ultracold molecules: extremely narrow optical spectra, and angular distributions of photofragments that are ejected when the diatomic molecules are dissociated by laser light pulses. The former allows molecular spectroscopy approaching the level of atomic clocks, leading into molecular metrology and tests of fundamental physics. The latter opens the field of ultracold chemistry through observation of quantum effects such as matter-wave interference of photofragments and tunneling through reaction barriers. The thesis also describes a discovery of a new method of thermometry that can be used near absolute zero temperatures for particles lacking cycling transitions, solving a long-standing experimental problem in atomic and molecular physics.

This book covers the continually expanding field of metal nanoparticles and clusters, in particular their size-dependent properties and quantum phenomena. The approaches to the organization of atoms that form clusters and nanoparticles have been advancing rapidly in recent times. These advancements are described through a combination of experimental and computational approaches and are covered in detail by the authors. Recent highlights of the various emerging properties and applications ranging from plasmonics to catalysis are showcased.

This book describes the design, construction, and characterization of a new type of aberration-corrected, neutral-atom lens. Atom beam control plays a crucial role in many different fields, ranging from fundamental physics research and materials science to applied nanotechnology. Despite this, atom-optical elements like lenses and mirrors remain relatively underdeveloped compared to their counterparts in other optics fields. Although aberration correction is addressed quite comprehensively in photon and electron lenses, no credible research efforts have yet produced the same technology for neutral atoms. It reports on progress towards a neutral atom imaging device that will be useful in a range of applications, including nanofabrication and surface microscopy. It presents a novel technique for improving refractive power and correcting chromatic aberration in atom lenses based on a fundamental paradigm shift from continuous, two-dimensional focusing to a pulsed, three-dimensional approach. Simulations of this system suggest that it will pave the way towards the long-sought goal of true atom imaging on the nanoscale. The book further describes the construction of a prototype lens, and shows that all of the technological requirements for the proposed system are easily satisfied. Using metastable neon from a supersonic source, the prototype was characterized for three different focal lengths and a diverse range of apertures. Despite some manufacturing imperfections, lower distortion and higher resolution than has been shown in any previous hexapole lens was observed. Comparison with simulations corroborates the underlying theory and encourages further refinement of the process.

This book brings together the recent cutting-edge work on computational methods in photonics and their applications. The latest advances in techniques such as the Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain method, Finite Element Time Domain method, Finite Difference Time Domain method as well as their applications are presented. Key aspects such as modelling of non-linear effects (Second Harmonic Generation, lasing in fibers, including gain nonlinearity in metamaterials), the acousto-optic effect, and the hydrodynamic model to explain electron response in nanoplasmonic structures are included. The application areas covered include plasmonics, metamaterials, photonic crystals, dielectric waveguides, fiber lasers. The chapters give a representative survey of the corresponding area.

This monograph provides an introductory discussion of evanescent waves and plasmons, describes their properties and uses, and shows how they are fundamental when operating with nanoscale optics. Far field optics is not suitable for the design, description, and operation of devices at this nanometre scale. Instead one must work with models based on near-field optics and surface evanescent waves. The new discipline of plasmonics has grown to encompass the generation and application of plasmons both as a travelling excitation in a nanostructure and as a stationary enhancement of the electrical field near metal nanosurfaces. The book begins with a brief review of the basic concepts of electromagnetism, then introduces evanescent waves through reflection and refraction, and shows how they appear in diffraction problems, before discussing the role that they play in optical waveguides and sensors. The application of evanescent waves in super-resolution devices is briefly presented, before plasmons are introduced. The surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are then treated, highlighting their potential applications also in ultra-compact circuitry. The book concludes with a discussion of the quantization of evanescent waves and quantum information processing. The book is intended for students and researchers who wish to enter the field or to have some insight into the matter. It is not a textbook but simply an introduction to more complete and in-depth discussions. The field of plasmonics has exploded in the last ten years, and most of the material treated in this book is scattered in original or review papers. A short comprehensive treatment is missing; this book is intended to provide just that.

This book showcases the state of the art in the field of sensors and microsystems, revealing the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies. It covers a broad range of aspects, including: bio-, physical and chemical sensors; actuators; micro- and nano-structured materials; mechanisms of interaction and signal transduction; polymers and biomaterials; sensor electronics and instrumentation; analytical microsystems, recognition systems and signal analysis; and sensor networks, as well as manufacturing technologies, environmental, food and biomedical applications. The book gathers a selection of papers presented at the 19th AISEM National Conference on Sensors and Microsystems. Held in Lecce, Italy in February 2017, the event brought together researchers, end users, technology teams and policy makers.

This book serves as a comprehensive, up-to-date reference about this cutting-edge laser technology and its many new and interesting developments. Various aspects and trends of Raman fiber lasers are described in detail by experts in their fields. Raman fiber lasers have progressed quickly in the past decade, and have emerged as a versatile laser technology for generating high power light sources covering a spectral range from visible to mid-infrared. The technology is already being applied in the fields of telecommunication, astronomy, cold atom physics, laser spectroscopy, environmental sensing, and laser medicine. This book covers various topics relating to Raman fiber laser research, including power scaling, cladding and diode pumping, cascade Raman shifting, single frequency operation and power amplification, mid-infrared laser generation, specialty optical fibers, and random distributed feedback Raman fiber lasers. The book will appeal to scientists, students, and technicians seeking to understand the recent developments and future trends of this promising and multifaceted technology.

The Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Opto-Electronics and Applied Optics, OPTRONIX 2016 is an effort to promote and present the research works by scientists and researchers including students in India and abroad in the area of Green Photonics and other related areas as well as to raise awareness about the recent trends of research and development in the area of the related fields. The book has been organized in such a way that it will be easier for the readers to go through and find out the topic of their interests. The first part includes the Keynote addresses by Rajesh Gupta, Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; P.T. Ajith Kumar, President and Leading Scientist Light Logics Holography and Optics, Crescent Hill, Trivandrum, Kerala; and K.K. Ghosh, Institute of Engineering & Management, Kolkata, India. The second part focuses on the Plenary and Invited Talks given by eminent scientists namely, Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, University of Waterloo, Canada; Motoharu Fujigaki, University of Fukuii, Japan; Takeo Sasaki, Tokyo University of Science, Japan; Kehar Singh, Former Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India; Rajpal S. Sirohi, Tezpur University, India; Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty, Institute of Engineering & Management, India; Lakshminarayan Hazra, Emeritus Professor, Calcutta University, India; S.K. Bhadra, Emeritus Scientist, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, India; Partha Roy Chaudhuri, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India; Navin Nishchal, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, India; Tarun Kumar Gangopadhyay, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, India; Samudra Roy, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India; Kamakhya Ghatak, University of Engineering & Management, India. The subsequent parts focus on contributory papers in : Green Photonics; Fibre and Integrated Optics; Lasers, Interferometry; Optical Communication and Networks; Optical and Digital Data and Image Processing; Opto-Electronic Devices, Terahertz Technology; Nano-Photonics, Bio-Photonics, Bio-Medical Optics; Lasers, Quantum Optics and Information Technology; E. M. Radiation Theory and Antenna; Cryptography; Quantum and Non-Linear Optics, Opto-Electronic Devices; Non-Linear Waveguides; Micro-Electronics and VLSI; Interdisciplinary.

This thesis presents the first comprehensive analysis of quantum cascade laser nonlinear dynamics and includes the first observation of a temporal chaotic behavior in quantum cascade lasers. It also provides the first analysis of optical instabilities in the mid-infrared range. Mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers, which have become widely used in applications such as gas spectroscopy, free-space communications or optical countermeasures. Applying external perturbations such as optical feedback or optical injection leads to a strong modification of the quantum cascade laser properties. Optical feedback impacts the static properties of mid-infrared Fabry-Perot and distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers, inducing power increase; threshold reduction; modification of the optical spectrum, which can become either single- or multimode; and enhanced beam quality in broad-area transverse multimode lasers. It also leads to a different dynamical behavior, and a quantum cascade laser subject to optical feedback can oscillate periodically or even become chaotic. A quantum cascade laser under external control could therefore be a source with enhanced properties for the usual mid-infrared applications, but could also address new applications such as tunable photonic oscillators, extreme events generators, chaotic Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), chaos-based secured communications or unpredictable countermeasures.

This book explores a central question in the study of depth perception - 'does the visual system rely upon objective knowledge and subjective meaning to specify visual depth?' Linton advances an alternative interpretation to the generally accepted affirmative answer, according to which many of the apparent contributions of knowledge and meaning to depth perception are better understood as contributions to our post-perceptual cognition of depth. In order to defend this position a new account of visual cognition is required, as well as a better understanding of the optical and physiological cues to depth. This book will appeal to students and researchers in psychology, vision science, and philosophy, as well as technologists and content creators working in virtual and augmented reality.

This book presents an analytical theory of the electronic states in ideal low dimensional systems and finite crystals based on a differential equation theory approach. It provides precise and fundamental understandings on the electronic states in ideal low-dimensional systems and finite crystals, and offers new insights into some of the basic problems in low-dimensional systems, such as the surface states and quantum confinement effects, etc., some of which are quite different from what is traditionally believed in the solid state physics community. Many previous predictions have been confirmed in subsequent investigations by other authors on various relevant problems. In this new edition, the theory is further extended to one-dimensional photonic crystals and phononic crystals, and a general theoretical formalism for investigating the existence and properties of surface states/modes in semi-infinite one-dimensional crystals is developed. In addition, there are various revisions and improvements, including using the Kronig-Penney model to illustrate the analytical theory and make it easier to understand. This book is a valuable resource for solid-state physicists and material scientists.

This volume is about ultra high-speed cameras, which enable us to see what we normally do not see. These are objects that are moving very fast, or that we just ignore. Ultra high-speed cameras invite us to a wonderland of microseconds. There Alice (the reader) meets a ultra high-speed rabbit (this volume) and travels together through this wonderland from the year 1887 to 2017. They go to the horse riding ground and see how a horse gallops. The rabbit takes her to a showroom where various cameras and illumination devices are presented. Then, he sends Alice into semiconductor labyrinths, wind tunnels, mechanical processing factories, and dangerous explosive fields. Sometimes Alice is large, and at other times she is very small. She sits even inside a car engine. She falls down together with a droplet. She enters a microbubble, is thrown out with a jet stream, and finds herself in a human body. Waking up from her dream, she sees children playing a game: "I see what you do not see, and this is....". Alice thinks: "The ultra high-speed rabbit showed me many things which I had never seen. Now I will go again to this wonderland, and try to find something new.

This book presents the fundamental scientific principles of long afterglow phosphorescent materials and a comprehensive review of both commercialized afterglow materials and the latest advances in the development of novel long afterglow materials. It is designed to supply much needed information about inorganic and organic afterglow materials, including detailed treatment of structure, classification, preparation techniques, characterization, surface modification chemistry, and optical measurements. Special attention is given to technological applications such as photovoltaics, photocatalytic reactions, and lighting and molecular sensing. Although traditional long afterglow phosphors have been widely investigated and used in industry, and significant efforts have recently been made toward the use of these materials for bioimaging, there is to date no scientific monograph dedicated to afterglow materials. This book not only provides a beginners' guide to the fundamentals of afterglow luminescence and materials, but also gives skilled researchers essential updates on emerging trends and efforts. The work provides a special focus on organic afterglow materials, which offer several advantages such as light-weight, flexible, and wide varieties; mild preparation conditions; and good processability. This book is aimed at postgraduate students, researchers, and technologists who are engaged in the synthesis, development, and commercialization of afterglow materials. It represents essential reading on interdisciplinary frontiers in the materials science, chemistry, photophysics, and biological aspects of afterglow materials.

This clearly written thesis discusses the development of a highly innovative single-photon source that uses active optical switching, known as multiplexing, to increase the probability of delivering photons into a single mode. Improving single-photon sources is critical in advancing the state of the art in photonic quantum technologies for information processing and communications.

This book traces the evolution of our understanding and utilization of light from classical antiquity and the early thoughts of Pythagoras to the present time. From the earliest recorded theories and experiments to the latest applications in photonic communication and computation, the ways in which light has been put to use are numerous and astounding. Indeed, some of the latest advances in light science are in fields that until recently belonged to the realm of science fiction. The author, writing for an audience of both students and other scientifically interested readers, describes fundamental investigations of the nature of light and ongoing methods to measure its speed as well as the emergence of the wave theory of light and the complementary photon theory. The importance of light in the theory of relativity is discussed as is the development of electrically-driven light sources and lasers. The information here covers the range o f weak single-photon light sources to super-high power lasers and synchrotron light sources. Many cutting-edge topics are also introduced, including entanglement-based quantum communication through optical fibers and free space, quantum teleportation, and quantum computing. The nature and use of "squeezed light" - e.g. for gravitational wave detection - is another fascinating excursion, as is the topic of fabricated metamaterials, as used to create invisibility cloaks. Here the reader also learns about the realization of extremely slow speed and time-reversed light. The theories, experiments, and applications described in this book are, whenever possible, derived from original references. The many annotated drawings and level of detail make clear the goals, procedures, and conclusions of the original investigators. Where they are required, all specialist terms and mathematical symbols are defined and explained. The final part of the book covers light expe riments in the free space of the cosmos, and also speculates about scenarios for the cosmological origins of light and the expected fate of the photon in a dying universe.

This book introduces comprehensive fundamentals, numerical simulations and experimental methods of electrification of particulates entrained multiphase flows. The electrifications of two particulate forms, liquid droplets and solid particles, are firstly described together. Liquid droplets can be charged under preset or associated electric fields, while solid particles can be charged through contact. Different charging ways in gas (liquid)-liquid or gas-solid multiphase flows are summarized, including ones that are beneficial to industrial processes, such as electrostatic precipitation, electrostatic spraying, and electrostatic separation, etc., ones harmful for shipping and powder industry, and ones occurring in natural phenomenon, such as wind-blown sand and thunderstorm. This book offers theoretical references to the control and utilization of the charging or charged particulates in multiphase flows as well.