Masers and Lasers: An Historical Approach

Masers and Lasers: An Historical Approach examines the progress of research and practical use of lasers chronologically, covering the fundamental science in detail alongside fascinating biographical sketches of famous physicists and summaries of seminal papers. It supplies helpful drawings of prototype devices, conceptual diagrams to aid in understanding, and remarkable historical photographs. This Second Edition contains new chapters on ultrashort pulse lasers and nonlinear optics, incorporates the latest developments and insights from key scientists, and includes extensive updates on fiber lasers, amplifiers, ultraviolet and X-ray lasers, and plasmonic lasers.

Mario Bertolotti received his degree in physics from the University of Roma, Italy, and was full professor of physics and optics for the Engineering Faculty of the University of Roma "La Sapienza", Italy from 1970 until 2008. He is the author of more than 500 peer-reviewed publications. A major part of his research has been in lasers and their applications, as well as nonlinear optics and nano-optics. He is an elected fellow of the Institute of Physics, Optical Society of America, European Optical Society, Italian Physical Society, and Italian Society of Optics and Photonics, of which he was also the president.