This book is intended for upperclass college students as an introduction to the growing field of coherent optics and to the increasing number of its applications, and also for those versed in other fields who wish to gain per- spective and insight without detailed calculations. It is an outgrowth of the author's Science Study Series book Lasers and HolographY. * Besides being an updated and expanded version of that book, it includes discussions of numerous recent applications. It differs in its slightly higher analytical level and in the inclusion oflarge numbers of references, which enable...

The economic growth and strength of a nation are directly related to the ability of its people to make discoveries and their ability to transform these discoveries into useful products. Ninety percent of the increase in output per capita in the United States from 1909 to 1949 has been held to be attributable to technological advances. In this book, we examine the ways in which a number of important new technologies came into being and review the characteristic traits of inventors who create new technologies. Ways are suggested that could enable young and old alike to become more creative, and...