Optics / Photonics Books

Transparent Conductive Zinc Oxide - Basics and Applications in Thin Film Solar Cells

Zinc oxide (ZnO) belongs to the class of transparent conducting oxides which can be used as transparent electrodes in electronic devices or heated windows. In this book the material properties of, the deposition technologies for, and applications of zinc oxide in thin film solar cells are described in a comprehensive manner. Structural, morphological, optical and electronic properties of ZnO are treated in this review. The editors and authors of this book are specialists in deposition, analysis and fabrication of thin-film solar cells and especially of ZnO. This book is intended as an overview and a data collection for students, engineers and scientist.

Optical Imaging and Microscopy - Techniques and Advanced Systems

This text on contemporary optical systems is intended for optical researchers and engineers, graduate students and optical microscopists in the biological and biomedical sciences. This second edition contains two completely new chapters. In addition most of the chapters from the first edition have been revised and updated. The book consists of three parts: The first discusses high-aperture optical systems, which form the backbone of optical microscopes. An example is a chapter new in the second edition on the emerging field of high numerical aperture diffractive lenses which seems to have particular promise in improving the correction of lenses. In this part particular attention is paid to optical data storage. The second part is on the use of non-linear optical techniques, including nonlinear optical excitation (total internal reflection fluorescence, second and third harmonic generation and two photon microscopy) and non-linear spectroscopy (CARS). The final part of the book presents miscellaneous techniques that are either novel or well known but finding new applications. An example of the latter is photonic force microscopy that is now rapidly becoming an exciting and indispensable tool in shedding light on the inner working of certain cells or measuring nano-mechanical properties of single molecules.

Ultrashort Laser Pulses in Biology and Medicine

Sources of ultrashort laser pulses are nowadays commercially available and have entered many areas of research and development. This book gives an overview of biological and medical applications of these laser pulses. The briefness of these laser pulses permits the tracing of the fastest processes in photo-active bio-systems, which is one focus of the book. The other focus is applications that rely on the high peak intensity of ultrashort laser pulses. Examples covered span non-linear imaging techniques, optical tomography, and laser surgery.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing for Optical Communications

The first book to address optical OFDM provides a coherent and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of both optical communications and OFDM signal processing, with a distinctive focus on its broad range of applications.

Free-Space Laser Communications · Principles and Advances

This book is intended for research scientists, engineers and students with an interest in the topic of free-space laser communications. It is intended as an all-inclusive source to serve the needs of those who require information about both basic concepts, as well as up-to-date advanced knowledge of the state-of-the-art in the technologies available today. This is the first book which provides in a comprehensive and tutorial manner, the fundamental principles and advances of free-space laser communications. Topics addressed include: atmospheric channel effects including available models, system design and performance, laser transmitter/ receiver designs for high performance photon-efficient systems, adaptive optics technology for atmospheric compensation, optical networks, coding techniques, and long wavelength free-space optical communications.

Quantum Optics · Including Noise Reduction, Trapped Ions, Quantum Trajectories, and Decoherence

Einstein's Theory of Atom-Radiation Interaction.- Atom-Field Interaction: Semiclassical Approach.- States of the Electromagnetic Field II.- Quantum Theory of Coherence.- Phase Space Description.- Atom-Field Interaction.- System-Reservoir Interactions.- Resonance Fluorescence.- Quantum Laser Theory. Master Equation Approach.- Quantum Noise Reduction.- 1.- Quantum Noise Reduction. 2.- Quantum Phase.- Quantum Trajectories.- Atom Optics.- Measurements, Quantum Limits and all that.- Trapped Ions.- Decoherence.- Quantum Bits, Entanglement and Applications.- Quantum Cloning and Processing.- A Operator Relations.- B The Method of Characteristics.- C Proof.- D Stochastic Processes in a Nutshell.- E Derivations of the Homodyne Stochastic Schrödinger Differential Equation.- F Fluctuations.- G The No-Cloning Theorem.- H The Universal Quantum Cloning Machine.- I Hints to Solve the Problems.

Fiber Bragg Gratings, 2nd Edition

Fiber Bragg Gratings is the result of a growing demand for focused and reliable information on the subject. It brings together the fundamentals of fiber gratings, their specific characterizations, and numerous applications. In addition to researchers, scientists, and graduate students, it will be of interest to industrial practitioners in the field of fabrication of fiber optic materials and devices.

Fiber Optic Measurement Techniques

Fiber Optic Measurement Techniques is an indispensable collection of key optical measurement techniques essential for developing and characterizing today's photonic devices and fiber optic systems. The book gives comprehensive and systematic descriptions of various fiber optic measurement methods with the emphasis on the understanding of optoelectronic signal processing methodologies, helping the reader to weigh up the pros and cons of each technique and establish their suitability for the task at hand.

Nanophotonics with Surface Plasmons

This book describes how one can fully integrate plasmonic nanostructures into dielectric, semiconductor, and molecular photonic devices, for guiding photons across the nano–micro interface and for detecting molecules with unsurpassed sensitivity.

Quantum Optics

Quantum Optics gives a comprehensive coverage of developments in quantum optics over the past years. In the early chapters the formalism of quantum optics is elucidated and the main techniques are introduced. These are applied in the later chapters to problems such as squeezed states of light, resonance fluorescence, laser theory, quantum theory of four-wave mixing, quantum non-demolition measurements, Bell's inequalities, and atom optics. Experimental results are used to illustrate the theory throughout. This yields the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of experiment and theory in quantum optics in any textbook.

Concentrator Photovoltaics

Photovoltaic solar-energy conversion is one of the most promising technologies for generating renewable energy, and conversion of concentrated sunlight can lead to reduced cost for solar electricity. In fact, photovoltaic conversion of concentrated sunlight insures an efficient and cost-effective sustainable power resource. This book gives an overview of all components, e.g. cells, concentrators, modules and systems, for systems of concentrator photovoltaics. The authors report on significant results related to design, technology, and applications, and also cover the fundamental physics and market considerations. Specific contributions include: theory and practice of sunlight concentrators; an overview of concentrator PV activities; a description of concentrator solar cells; design and technology of modules and systems; manufacturing aspects; and a market study.

Semiconductor Lasers - Stability, Instability and Chaos

This monograph describes fascinating recent progress in the field of chaos, stability and instability of semiconductor lasers. Applications and future prospects are discussed in detail. The book emphasizes the various dynamics induced in semiconductor lasers by optical and electronic feedback, optical injection, and injection current modulation. Recent results of both theoretical and experimental investigations are presented. Demonstrating applications of semiconductor laser chaos, control and noise, Semiconductor Lasers describes suppression and chaotic secure communications. For those who are interested in optics but not familiar with nonlinear systems, a brief introduction to chaos analysis is presented.

Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks

Within the last decades, the use of lasers in artworks conservation became an important tool for many conservators, scientists, architects and other experts, who are involved in the care of monuments and artefacts or laser technology. For the first time in 1995 Professor Costas Fotakis brought together restorers and scientists to discuss the potential of lasers in art conservation. Since then the field of "Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks" has gained enormously in importance. Nowadays restorers and laser scientists work close together in order to develop new fields of applications during the last years. Furthermore a large number of national and international research projects have been carried out by conservator-restorers, architects and scientists. In the last 10 years a number of historical and artistic high quality monuments (e.g. St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna) have been cleaned or measured by laser and brought the laser in the spectra of tools which are useful in the sensible field of artworks. The proceedings of the congress addresses scientists, conservator-restorers, companies, architects, decision-makers and other experts involved in conservation projects or in the research of new laser equipment.