Handbook of Laser Technology and Applications (Three- Volume Set): Laser Components, Properties, and Basic Principles - Hardcover

9780750306072: Handbook of Laser Technology and Applications (Three- Volume Set): Laser Components, Properties, and Basic Principles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0750306076 ISBN 13: 9780750306072

Publisher: CRC Press, 2003

The invention of the laser was one of the towering achievements of the twentieth century. At the opening of the twenty-first century we are witnessing the burgeoning of the myriad technical innovations to which that invention has led. The Handbook of Laser Technology and Applications is a practical and long-lasting reference source for scientists and engineers who work with lasers. The Handbook provides, in a single work, a comprehensive guide to the current status of lasers and laser systems; it is accessible to science or engineering graduates needing no more than standard undergraduate knowledge of optics. Whilst being a self-contained reference work, the Handbook provides extensive references to contemporary work, and is a basis for studying the professional journal literature on the subject. It covers applications through detailed case studies, and is therefore well suited to readers who wish to use it to solve specific problems of their own.
The first of the three volumes comprises an introduction to the basic scientific principles of lasers, laser beams and non-linear optics. The second volume describes the mechanisms and operating characteristics of specific types of laser including crystalline solid - state lasers, semiconductor diode lasers, fibre lasers, gas lasers, chemical lasers, dye lasers and many others as well as detailing the optical and electronic components which tailor the laser's performance and beam delivery systems. The third volume is devoted to case studies of applications in a wide range of subjects including materials processing, optical measurement techniques, medicine, telecommunications, data storage, spectroscopy, earth sciences and astronomy, and plasma fusion research.
This vast compendium of knowledge on laser science and technology is the work of over 130 international experts, many of whom are recognised as the world leaders in their respective fields.. Whether the reader is engaged in the science, technology, industrial or medical applications of lasers or is researching the subject as a manager or investor in technical enterprises they cannot fail to be informed and enlightened by the wide range of information the Handbook supplies.

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Review

This handbook covers essentially all known areas of technical applications of lasers, using simple and understandable language but also sophistication and understanding which it's many specialists have been able to provide. It should be useful both to those who want to explore the field or some related idea for the first time, and those looking for advanced and rigorous discussion along with references to scientific and technical papers on aspects of special interest. I am delighted to see this excellent and useful summary of laser technology. I expect it to be much welcomed by and useful to the technical community, and a significant factor in further generation of ideas and growth of the field.
-Extract from the foreword to the handbook, by Charles Townes

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