Lasers, Optics, and Photonics

"This book covers a wide range of topics in the areas of optics, photonics and lasers. Including such variety of topics in a sole book is justified by the natural synergy between several of them, which makes it a particularly useful resource for several university courses. The 25 chapters are grouped in order to provide a progressive presentation of the concepts and to facilitate the understanding of the various subjects. Actually, the book contents can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part presents the fundamental concepts relating to geometrical optics, optical instruments and aberrations, radiometry and photometry, wave physics, electromagnetic optics, polarization, interference, diffraction, coherence, holography and light propagation in anisotropic media. The second part of the book includes several topics in the areas of photonics and lasers, such as conventional and micro-structured optical fibers, dispersion, optical communications, laser fundamentals, semiconductor lasers, laser beams and laser light, nonlinear optics, all-optical signal processing, optical solitons, fiber amplifiers and lasers, and supercontinuum generation. An Appendix dedicated to some optics phenomena and systems in nature is also included. This book may be useful as a reference text in disciplines and training programs beyond the limits of physics, namely chemistry, biology, engineering and medicine. It can be also a useful tool for professionals with a diverse background and who wish to start the study of this field"--