This text on contemporary optical systems is intended for optical researchers and engineers, graduate students and optical microscopists in the biological and biomedical sciences. It consists of three parts: The first discusses high-aperture optical systems, which form the backbone of optical microscopes. Here particular attention is paid to optical data storage. The second part is on the use of non-linear optical techniques, including non-linear optical excitation (second and third harmonic generation and two-photon microscopy) and non-linear spectroscopy (CARS). The final part of the book presents miscellaneous techniques that are either novel or well known but finding new applications. An example of the latter is adaptive optics, which is a well-established method, for example, in astronomy. However, its application in eye imaging in combination with high power pulsed lasers, opens a novel approach to eye surgery.
From the reviews:
"The editors have selected a well known group of contributors who have written a straightforward ... book. The well-illustrated volume is organized in three parts ... . I found the descriptions of the theory and the details of the instrumentation very helpful. Important references are included, as in an index. I highly recommend this book for an audience of scientists, engineers, graduate students and optical microscopists." (Barry R. Masters, Optics and Photonics News, Vol. 15 (12), December, 2004)
"This book is collecting for the first time contributions from imaging related subjects that were not previously published in this form or they are difficult to access. ... This text on contemporary optical systems is intended for optical researchers and engineers, graduate students and optical microscopists in the biological and biomedical sciences." (D. Weder, Optik, Vol. 115 (10), 2004)
"The book presents a rather eclectic collection of optical techniques. ... the audience for this book will be graduate-level physics students or physical science researchers seeking to learn more about a specific technique." (DeVon W. Griffin, The Industrial Physicist, October, 2004)