This book offers a didactic introduction to light–matter interactions at both the classical and semi-classical levels. Pursuing an approach that describes the essential physics behind the functionality of any optical element, it acquaints students with the broad areas of optics and photonics. Its rigorous, bottom-up approach to the subject, using model systems ranging from individual atoms and simple molecules to crystalline and amorphous solids, gradually builds up the reader’s familiarity and confidence with the subject matter. Throughout the book, the detailed mathematical treatment and examples of practical applications are accompanied by problems with worked-out solutions. In short, the book provides the most essential information for any graduate or advanced undergraduate student wishing to begin their course of study in the field of photonics, or to brush up on important concepts prior to an examination.

This book draws together the essential elements of classical electrodynamics, surface wave physics, plasmonic materials, and circuit theory of electrical engineering to provide insight into the essential physics of nanoscale light-matter interaction and to provide design methodology for practical nanoscale plasmonic devices. A chapter on classical and quantal radiation also highlights the similarities (and differences) between the classical fields of Maxwell's equations and the wave functions of Schrödinger's equation. The aim of this chapter is to provide a semiclassical picture of atomic absorption and emission of radiation, lending credence and physical plausibility to the "rules" of standard wave-mechanical calculations. The structure of the book is designed around five principal chapters, but many of the chapters have extensive "complements" that either treat important digressions from the main body or penetrate deeper into some fundamental issue. Furthermore, at the end of the book are several appendices to provide readers with a convenient reference for frequently-occurring special functions and explanations of the analytical tools, such as vector calculus and phasors, needed to express important results in electromagnetics and waveguide theory.

A thorough introduction to atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering stands at the confluence of strong scientific and technological currents in physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. It seeks ways to expand our ability to use light for many purposes: to observe and manipulate matter at the atomic scale, to use nanostructures to manipulate light at the subwavelength scale, to develop quantum devices, and to control internal molecular motion and modify chemical reactivity with light. The two-volume Light-Matter Interaction draws together the principal ideas that form the basis of AMO science and engineering. Volume 1: Fundamentals and Applications fills many gaps left by standard courses and texts in chemical physics and electrical engineering to supply the basis of what the AMO scientist or engineer needs to build a solid foundation of understanding in the field. Organized to serve as both textbook and reliable desk reference to a diverse audience ranging from student and novice to advanced practitioner, this book discusses both the fundamentals and common applications, including: * Classical absorption and emission of radiation * Quantum dipole coupling to the two-level system * The optical Bloch equations * Quantized fields and dressed states * Optical forces and cooling from atom-light interaction * The laser in theory and practice * Geometrical and wave optics: theory and applications * The Gaussian beam and optical resonators

This compact but exhaustive textbook, now in its significantly revised and expanded second edition, provides an essential introduction to the field quantization of light and matter with applications to atomic physics and strongly correlated systems. Following an initial review of the origins of special relativity and quantum mechanics, individual chapters are devoted to the second quantization of the electromagnetic field and the consequences of light field quantization for the description of electromagnetic transitions. The spin of the electron is then analyzed, with particular attention to its derivation from the Dirac equation. Subsequent topics include the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on the atomic spectra and the properties of systems composed of many interacting identical particles. The book also provides a detailed explanation of the second quantization of the non-relativistic matter field, i.e., the Schrödinger field, which offers a powerful tool for the investigation of many-body problems, and of atomic quantum optics and entanglement. Finally, two new chapters introduce the finite-temperature functional integration of bosonic and fermionic fields for the study of macroscopic quantum phenomena: superfluidity and superconductivity. Several solved problems are included at the end of each chapter, helping readers put into practice all that they have learned.

The importance and the beauty of modern quantum field theory resides in the power and variety of its methods and ideas, which find application in domains as different as particle physics, cosmology, condensed matter, statistical mechanics and critical phenomena. This book introduces the reader to the modern developments in a manner which assumes no previous knowledge of quantum field theory. Along with standard topics like Feynman diagrams, the book discusses effective lagrangians, renormalization group equations, the path integral formulation, spontaneous symmetry breaking and non-abelian gauge theories. The inclusion of more advanced topics will also make this a most useful book for graduate students and researchers.

Covering a number of important subjects in quantum optics, this textbook is an excellent introduction for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, familiarizing readers with the basic concepts and formalism as well as the most recent advances. The first part of the textbook covers the semi-classical approach where matter is quantized, but light is not. It describes significant phenomena in quantum optics, including the principles of lasers. The second part is devoted to the full quantum description of light and its interaction with matter, covering topics such as spontaneous emission, and classical and non-classical states of light. An overview of photon entanglement and applications to quantum information is also given. In the third part, non-linear optics and laser cooling of atoms are presented, where using both approaches allows for a comprehensive description. Each chapter describes basic concepts in detail, and more specific concepts and phenomena are presented in 'complements'.

Photobiology - the science of light and life - begins with basic principles and the physics of light and continues with general photobiological research methods, such as generation of light, measurement of light, and action spectroscopy. In an interdisciplinary way, it then treats how organisms tune their pigments and structures to the wavelength components of light, and how light is registered by organisms. Then follow various examples of photobiological phenomena: the design of the compound eye in relation to the properties of light, phototoxicity, photobiology of the human skin and of vitamin D, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodism, the setting of the biological clock by light, and bioluminescence. A final chapter is devoted to teaching experiments and demonstrations in photobiology. This book encompasses topics from a diverse array of traditional disciplines: physics, biochemistry, medicine, zoology, botany, microbiology, etc., and makes different aspects of photobiology accessible to experts in all these areas as well as to the novice.

Introduction and handbook to high-power laser-matter interaction, laser generated plasma, nonlinear waves, particle acceleration, nonlinear optics, nonlinear dynamics, radiation transport, it provides a systematic review of the major results and developments of the past 25 years.

Dieses Buch ist genau richtig für Einsteiger in das Fachgebiet. Schwierige Effekte werden direkt und leicht verständlich präsentiert. Diese aktualisierte, erweiterte Auflage bietet neue Kapitel zu neuen Themen wie Plasmonik, Frequenzkämme auf Femto-Ebene und Quantenkaskadenlaser

Colour imaging technology has become almost ubiquitous in modern life in the form of monitors, liquid crystal screens, colour printers, scanners, and digital cameras. This book is a comprehensive guide to the scientific and engineering principles of colour imaging. It covers the physics of light and colour, how the eye and physical devices capture colour images, how colour is measured and calibrated, and how images are processed. It stresses physical principles and includes a wealth of real-world examples. The book will be of value to scientists and engineers in the colour imaging industry and, with homework problems, can also be used as a text for graduate courses on colour imaging.