A Guided Tour of Light Beams

A Guided Tour of Light Beams
Author: David S Simon
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 105
Release: 2016-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1681744376

From science fiction death rays to supermarket scanners, lasers have become deeply embedded in our daily lives and our culture. But in recent decades the standard laser beam has evolved into an array of more specialized light beams with a variety of strange and counterintuitive properties. Some of them have the ability to reconstruct themselves after disruption by an obstacle, while others can bend in complicated shapes or rotate like a corkscrew. These unusual optical effects open new and exciting possibilities for science and technology. For example, they make possible microscopic tractor beams that pull objects toward the source of the light, and they allow the trapping and manipulation of individual molecules to construct specially-tailored nanostructures for engineering or medical use. It has even been found that beams of light can produce lines of darkness that can be tied in knots. This book is an introductory survey of these specialized light beams and their scientific applications, at a level suitable for undergraduates with a basic knowledge of optics and quantum mechanics. It provides a unified treatment of the subject, collecting together in textbook form for the first time many topics currently found only in the original research literature.

Optics in Our Time

Optics in Our Time
Author: Mohammad D. Al-Amri
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 509
Release: 2016-12-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319319035

Light and light based technologies have played an important role in transforming our lives via scientific contributions spanned over thousands of years. In this book we present a vast collection of articles on various aspects of light and its applications in the contemporary world at a popular or semi-popular level. These articles are written by the world authorities in their respective fields. This is therefore a rare volume where the world experts have come together to present the developments in this most important field of science in an almost pedagogical manner. This volume covers five aspects related to light. The first presents two articles, one on the history of the nature of light, and the other on the scientific achievements of Ibn-Haitham (Alhazen), who is broadly considered the father of modern optics. These are then followed by an article on ultrafast phenomena and the invisible world. The third part includes papers on specific sources of light, the discoveries of which have revolutionized optical technologies in our lifetime. They discuss the nature and the characteristics of lasers, Solid-state lighting based on the Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, and finally modern electron optics and its relationship to the Muslim golden age in science. The book’s fourth part discusses various applications of optics and light in today's world, including biophotonics, art, optical communication, nanotechnology, the eye as an optical instrument, remote sensing, and optics in medicine. In turn, the last part focuses on quantum optics, a modern field that grew out of the interaction of light and matter. Topics addressed include atom optics, slow, stored and stationary light, optical tests of the foundation of physics, quantum mechanical properties of light fields carrying orbital angular momentum, quantum communication, and Wave-Particle dualism in action.

Biomedical Photonics Handbook, Second Edition

Biomedical Photonics Handbook, Second Edition
Author: Tuan Vo-Dinh
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 894
Release: 2014-07-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 142008514X

Shaped by Quantum Theory, Technology, and the Genomics Revolution The integration of photonics, electronics, biomaterials, and nanotechnology holds great promise for the future of medicine. This topic has recently experienced an explosive growth due to the noninvasive or minimally invasive nature and the cost-effectiveness of photonic modalities in medical diagnostics and therapy. The second edition of the Biomedical Photonics Handbook presents fundamental developments as well as important applications of biomedical photonics of interest to scientists, engineers, manufacturers, teachers, students, and clinical providers. The second volume, Biomedical Diagnostics, focuses on biomedical diagnostic technologies and their applications from the bench to the bedside. Represents the Collective Work of over 150 Scientists, Engineers, and Clinicians Designed to display the most recent advances in instrumentation and methods, as well as clinical applications in important areas of biomedical photonics to a broad audience, this three-volume handbook provides an inclusive forum that serves as an authoritative reference source for a broad audience involved in the research, teaching, learning, and practice of medical technologies. What’s New in This Edition: A wide variety of photonic biochemical sensing technologies have already been developed for clinical monitoring of physiological parameters, such as blood pressure, blood chemistry, pH, temperature, and the presence of pathological organisms or biochemical species of clinical importance. Advanced photonic detection technologies integrating the latest knowledge of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics allow sensing of early disease state biomarkers, thus revolutionizing the medicine of the future. Nanobiotechnology has opened new possibilities for detection of biomarkers of disease, imaging single molecules and in situ diagnostics at the single cell level. In addition to these state-of-the art advancements, the second edition contains new topics and chapters including: • Fiber Optic Probe Design • Laser and Optical Radiation Safety • Photothermal Detection • Multidimensional Fluorescence Imaging • Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging • Molecular Contrast Optical Coherence Tomography • Multiscale Photoacoustics • Polarized Light for Medical Diagnostics • Quantitative Diffuse Reflectance Imaging • Interferometric Light Scattering • Nonlinear Interferometric Vibrational Imaging • Multimodality Theranostics Nanoplatforms • Nanoscintillator-Based Therapy • SERS Molecular Sentinel Nanoprobes • Plasmonic Coupling Interference Nanoprobes Comprised of three books: Volume I: Fundamentals, Devices, and Techniques; Volume II: Biomedical Diagnostics; and Volume III: Therapeutics and Advanced Biophotonics, this second edition contains eight sections, and provides introductory material in each chapter. It also includes an overview of the topic, an extensive collection of spectroscopic data, and lists of references for further reading.

Optical Angular Momentum

Optical Angular Momentum
Author: L. Allen
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2016-04-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1482269015

Spin angular momentum of photons and the associated polarization of light has been known for many years. However, it is only over the last decade or so that physically realizable laboratory light beams have been used to study the orbital angular momentum of light. In many respects, orbital and spin angular momentum behave in a similar manner, but t

Optical Fiber Telecommunications Volume VIB

Optical Fiber Telecommunications Volume VIB
Author: Ivan Kaminow
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 1139
Release: 2013-05-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 012397237X

Optical Fiber Telecommunications VI (A&B) is the sixth in a series that has chronicled the progress in the R&D of lightwave communications since the early 1970s. Written by active authorities from academia and industry, this edition brings a fresh look to many essential topics, including devices, subsystems, systems and networks. A central theme is the enabling of high-bandwidth communications in a cost-effective manner for the development of customer applications. These volumes are an ideal reference for R&D engineers and managers, optical systems implementers, university researchers and students, network operators, and investors. Volume A is devoted to components and subsystems, including photonic integrated circuits, multicore and few-mode fibers, photonic crystals, silicon photonics, signal processing, and optical interconnections. Volume B is devoted to systems and networks, including advanced modulation formats, coherent detection, Tb/s channels, space-division multiplexing, reconfigurable networks, broadband access, undersea cable, satellite communications, and microwave photonics. - All the latest technologies and techniques for developing future components and systems - Edited by two winners of the highly prestigious OSA/IEEE John Tyndal award and a President of IEEE's Lasers & Electro-Optics Society (7,000 members) - Written by leading experts in the field, it is the most authoritative and comprehensive reference on optical engineering on the market

Twisted Photons

Twisted Photons
Author: Juan P. Torres
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2011-03-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3527635378

This book deals with applications in several areas of science and technology that make use of light which carries orbital angular momentum. In most practical scenarios, the angular momentum can be decomposed into two independent contributions: the spin angular momentum and the orbital angular momentum. The orbital contribution affords a fundamentally new degree of freedom, with fascinating and wide-spread applications. Unlike spin angular momentum, which is associated with the polarization of light, the orbital angular momentum arises as a consequence of the spatial distribution of the intensity and phase of an optical field, even down to the single photon limit. Researchers have begun to appreciate its implications for our understanding of the ways in which light and matter can interact, and its practical potential in different areas of science and technology.

Laser Beam Propagation

Laser Beam Propagation
Author: Andrew Forbes
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1466554398

How do laser beams propagate? Innovative discoveries involving laser beams and their propagation properties are at the heart of Laser Beam Propagation: Generation and Propagation of Customized Light. This book captures the essence of laser beam propagation. Divided into three parts, it explores the fundamentals of how laser beams propagate, and provides novel methods to describe and characterize general laser beams. Part one covers the physical optics approach to the propagation of optical waves, the concept of plane waves, the mathematical description of diffraction and Gaussian optics, and adapting the concepts to the single photon level. The book explains the parallels between the paraxial propagation of light beams and the Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics, and delves into the description of paraxial optics by means of state vectors and operators. It also discusses classical optics and quantum entanglement. Part two focuses on the application of modal decomposition to the characterization of laser beams, and provides a characterization of time domain pulses. It discusses tools for the temporal characterization of laser beams, the generation of arbitrary laser beams with digital holograms, and the use of spatial light modulators to display reconfigurable digital holograms capable of modifying and shaping laser beams. It also covers various techniques and the control of the polarization properties of light. Part three defines the most commonly generated shaped light, flat-top beams, outlining their propagation rules as well as the means to create them in the laboratory. It also highlights Helmholtz-Gauss beams, vector beams, and low coherence laser beams. The text presents the concepts of coherence theory and applies this to the propagation of low coherence optical fields. It also considers the recent developments in orbital angular momentum carrying fields, touches on basics properties, definitions and applications, and brings together the classical and quantum concepts of spatial modes of light.

The Angular Momentum of Light

The Angular Momentum of Light
Author: David L. Andrews
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 443
Release: 2013
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1107006341

The first comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the angular momentum of light, illustrating both its theoretical and applied aspects.

B Decays (Revised 2nd Edition)

B Decays (Revised 2nd Edition)
Author: Sheldon Stone
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 673
Release: 1994-08-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9814583308

This 2nd edition is an extensive update of 'B Decays”. The revisions are necessary because of the extensive amount of new data and new theoretical ideas. This book reviews what is known about b-quark decays and also looks at what can be learned in the future.The importance of this research area is increasing, as evidenced by the approval of the luminosity upgrade for CESR and the asymmetric B factories at SLAC and KEK, and the possibility of experiments at hadron colliders.The key experimental observations made thus far, measurement of the lifetimes of the different B species, B0-B0 mixing, the discovery of “Penguin” mediated decays, and the extraction of the CKM matrix elements Vub and Vcb from semileptonic decays, as well as more mundane results, are described in great detail by the experimentalists who have been closely involved with making the measurements. Theoretical progress in understanding b-quark decays using HQET and lattice gauge techniques are described by theorists who have developed and used these techniques.Synthesizing the experimental and theoretical information, several articles discuss the implications for the “Standard Model” and how further tests can be done using measurements of CP violation in the B system.