This book describes techniques used to predict the quality of images formed by optical systems, such as telescopes, camera lenses, and microscope objectives. It covers in detail how the ray and wave pictures of lens behavior can be combined and developed to produce a theory capable of dealing with the large angles encountered in real optical systems. Several applications are considered, including the propagation of a Gaussian beam along a skew ray, a clear and convincing demonstration that diffractive optical elements are subject to the same fundamental limitation as conventional lenses, a...

This book describes the Fabry-Perot interferometer and its variants as well as its use, optimisation and applications. The author begins with an historical perspective on the development of the instrument. Because of the quantitative uses of the device, the text tends to be mostly mathematical in its treatment. However, there is also much practical detail on the use and optimization of the Fabry-Perot interferometer and discussion of its classical uses (such as in metrology) and its contemporary applications (such as in lasers). In addition the book contains a comprehensive bibliography...

This book is a self-contained account of the most important principles of nonlinear optics. Assuming a familiarity with basic mathematics, the fundamentals of nonlinear optics are developed from the basic concepts, introducing and explaining the essential quantum mechanical apparatus as it arises. Later chapters deal with the materials used and the constructions that are necessary to induce the effects.

This is a new and greatly expanded edition of what has become one of the best known introductions to the principles, techniques and applications of optical holography. Where necessary, existing sections have been updated to cover several new techniques and applications and two new chapters have been added. After presenting the theory of holographic imaging and the various types of holograms, the author covers practical aspects of holography, as well as the production of holograms for display, color holography, and computer generated holograms. He then discusses a variety of applications of...

This is a new and greatly expanded edition of what has become one of the best known introductions to the principles, techniques and applications of optical holography. Where necessary, existing sections have been updated to cover several new techniques and applications and two new chapters have been added. After presenting the theory of holographic imaging and the various types of holograms, the author covers practical aspects of holography, as well as the production of holograms for display, color holography, and computer generated holograms. He then discusses a variety of applications of...

This book provides a throrough introduction to the interaction of atoms and atomic ions with optical and magnetic fields. The author places particular emphasis on the wealth of important multilevel effects, where atomic vapors exhibit anisotropic behavior. As well as covering the classic two-level atom approach to light-atom interactions, Suter describes in detail a general multilevel formalism, which he uses to discuss optical pumping, two-dimensional spectroscopy and nonlinear optical dynamics. The final chapter deals with the mechanical effects of light, including the cooling and trapping...

Quantum mechanics sets fundamental limits on the amount of information one can extract from a system with a single set of measurements. Recent results of new theoretical analyses and optical experiments have given rise to a more complete knowledge of the quantum properties of light. This book gives the first detailed description of this fascinating branch of quantum optics. The author describes some key results and tools from quantum optics and then discusses the quantum mechanical description of simple optical instruments before giving a detailed treatment of quantum tomography. The book...

The scientific and technological importance of lasers has generated great interest in the field of cavity nonlinear optics. This book provides a thorough description of this subject in terms of modern dynamical systems theory, with an emphasis on deriving analytical results and highlighting their physical significance. The book applies physical models for active and passive cavities to a variety of problems in laser theory, optical bistability and parametric oscillators. Subjects include scaling laws, Hopf bifurcations, passive Q-switching, and Turing instabilities. Several of the topics...

The book will be found useful by anyone whose work involves one of the many applications of interferometric techniques.