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.

Optical Interactions in Solids presents an extensive and unified treatment of the basic principles of the optical properties of solids. It provides a theoretical background to workers in the field of laser physics and absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of solid state materials. The book is a comprehensive coverage of the subject and is systematically and didactically organized. The level of presentation is such that it will benefit and interest both advanced students and research workers. Group theory — which is useful throughout — is introduced early in the book advocating the scientific community to overcome the reluctance to employ this powerful method. Consistent emphasis is given throughout the book to the relevance of symmetry and to detailed calculations. Different subjects as various as quantum theory of radiation field, thermal vibrations of molecules and crystals and covalent bonding are brought together in a unified treatment which requires knowledge of all these topics and this points to the interpretation of the spectral properties of solids. The content of this work could be used as a two term graduate course in solid state spectroscopy.br>

This practical guide to spectroscopy and inorganic materials meets the demand from academia and the science community for an introductory text that introduces the different optical spectroscopic techniques, used in many laboratories, for material characterisation. Treats the most basic aspects to be introduced into the field of optical spectroscopy of inorganic materials, enabling a student to interpret simple optical (absorption, reflectivity, emission and scattering) spectra Contains simple, illustrative examples and solved exercises Covers the theory, instrumentation and applications of spectroscopy for the characterisation of inorganic materials, including lasers, phosphors and optical materials such as photonics This is an ideal beginner’s guide for students with some previous knowledge in quantum mechanics and optics, as well as a reference source for professionals or researchers in materials science, especially the growing field of optical materials.

Principles of Laser Spectroscopy and Quantum Optics is an essential textbook for graduate students studying the interaction of optical fields with atoms. It also serves as an ideal reference text for researchers working in the fields of laser spectroscopy and quantum optics. The book provides a rigorous introduction to the prototypical problems of radiation fields interacting with two- and three-level atomic systems. It examines the interaction of radiation with both atomic vapors and condensed matter systems, the density matrix and the Bloch vector, and applications involving linear absorption and saturation spectroscopy. Other topics include hole burning, dark states, slow light, and coherent transient spectroscopy, as well as atom optics and atom interferometry. In the second half of the text, the authors consider applications in which the radiation field is quantized. Topics include spontaneous decay, optical pumping, sub-Doppler laser cooling, the Heisenberg equations of motion for atomic and field operators, and light scattering by atoms in both weak and strong external fields. The concluding chapter offers methods for creating entangled and spin-squeezed states of matter. Instructors can create a one-semester course based on this book by combining the introductory chapters with a selection of the more advanced material. A solutions manual is available to teachers. Rigorous introduction to the interaction of optical fields with atoms Applications include linear and nonlinear spectroscopy, dark states, and slow light Extensive chapter on atom optics and atom interferometry Conclusion explores entangled and spin-squeezed states of matter Solutions manual (available only to teachers)

Gives a comprehensive and coherent account of the basic methods to characterize a solid through its interaction with an electromagnetic field.

This practical guide to spectroscopy and inorganic materials meets the demand from academia and the science community for an introductory text that introduces the different optical spectroscopic techniques, used in many laboratories, for material characterisation. Treats the most basic aspects to be introduced into the field of optical spectroscopy of inorganic materials, enabling a student to interpret simple optical (absorption, reflectivity, emission and scattering) spectra Contains simple, illustrative examples and solved exercises Covers the theory, instrumentation and applications of spectroscopy for the characterisation of inorganic materials, including lasers, phosphors and optical materials such as photonics This is an ideal beginner’s guide for students with some previous knowledge in quantum mechanics and optics, as well as a reference source for professionals or researchers in materials science, especially the growing field of optical materials.

In this volume we have attempted to present a concise survey of the spectroscopic properties of insulators as derived from the application of tunable laser spectro scopic techniques. As has been the case in gaseous atomic spectroscopy, the use of tunable lasers has allowed the extension and the refmement of optical measure ments in the condensed phases to unprecedented resolutions in the frequency and temporal domains. In turn, this firmer base of empirical fmdings has led to a more sophisticated theoretical understanding of the spectroscopy of optically excited states with major modifications being apparent in the area of their dynamic be havior. Yet the revivalistic nature of these advances implies that additional advan ces are to be expected as the techniques and developments outlined in this volume are put to widespread use. Regardless, it is our hope and that of our distinguished colleagues in this venture that the reviews presented here will be useful to neo phytes and veterans to this field alike - to the former as a laissez-passer into solid-state spectroscopy, to the latter as a useful synopsis and reference of recent developments. We have also attempted to expose the reader to the concept that optically active materials, be they organic or inorganic, as universality would require, be have in a like manner and, though terminology may vary in detail, the outline and general features of all insulators remain constant.

This text describes the technique of optical spectroscopy applied to problems in condensed matter physics. It relates theoretical understanding to experimental measurement, including discussion of the optical spectroscopy of inorganic insulators, with many illustrative examples. Symmetry arguments are developed from a formal group theoretical basis and are frequently used, and a special effort is made to treat the subject of lattice vibrations and to show how these can affect the spectroscopic properties of solids. The elements of laser theory are developed, and the authors also explore the use of optically detected magnetic resonance techniques for the investigation of semiconducting materials.