Book Description

Light, more than any other physical phenomenon, lies at the heart of almost every aspect of life.To give just one example: photosynthesis, which converts sunlight into usable energy, creates the calories that sustain you, the oxygen you breathe, even the ozone layer that protects you from dangerous radiation. Biochemist Michael Gross takes us on a fascinating, far reaching exploration of light and life, ranging from the big bang to the impact of a single photon on the human retina. Light and Life ranges from the formation of the solar system and the conditions that allowed life to arise on earth, to the ever-deepening interaction between light and life in all its myriad forms. In a breezy and informative style, Gross explains the "oxygen revolution," when photosynthesis changed not only life but the planet itself (by pumping oxygen into the atmosphere and creating the ozone layer, among other things). He describes the workings of chloroplasts, and the most bizarre aspect of light's relationship to life: bioluminescence, the generation of light by plants and animals (from the flashlight fish, which hunts with its own high-beams, to a photoplankton that lights up to attract predators of its predators). Gross is at his most illuminating as he explores the relationship of the human body to light, from the structure of the eye, to vitamin D synthesis, to circadian rhythms. He concludes with a thoughtful rumination on the historically central place of the sun and light in human cultures. Packed with eye-catching illustrations and boxed features on important scientific topics, Light and Life is science writing at its brightest. ... Read more

Book Description

A new volume in the field's bestselling optics reference--an entirely new opus focusing exclusively on fiber-optics. Contains an ultra-handy, comprehensive index to all four Handbook of Optics volumes. ... Read more

Book Description

In The Fire within the Eye, scientist and author David Park helps us reconceive the everyday phenomenon of light in profound ways, from spiritual meanings embedded in our culture to the challenging questions put forth by great scientists and philosophers. Park, who is both a gifted teacher and physicist, takes us on a tour through history spanning ancient Greek, Neoplatonic, and Arabic philosophy together with astrology, the metaphysics of Galileo and Kepler, and the role of mathematics and experimentation in modern physics. By creatively synthesizing a broad sweep of historical events and intellectual movements around the theme of light, the author offers readers of all backgrounds a unique perspective on Western civilization itself. Readers will find themselves immersed in lively discussions conducted by a physicist equally at home exploring the invention of perspective by Brunelleschi and Alberti, the writings of Goethe, or the mathematical models inspiring Maxwell's electromagnetic theory.

Plato made light the earthly counterpart of the Good; the early Christians believed the command "Let there be light" unleashed a power that shaped and energized the world. Park follows the connotations of spirituality and power attributed to light in religion, philosophy, art, and literature. At the same time he enables us truly to feel the excitement surrounding scientific discoveries and debates about the nature of light throughout history --Isaac Newton's scientific explanation of color and the raging battles between proponents of light as particles and light as a wave. Park traces the attempts to define light, beginning in the nineteenth century with the proposal that light is a wave motion in a field that unites electricity and magnetism. How this theory was reconciled with the particle theory of light is one of many paradoxes that Park guides us in understanding.

Park writes eloquently of the physical, aesthetic, and spiritual aspects of light, making this book an invaluable guide for all readers wishing to explore the fascinating relationship between science and culture. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Man, Light, and Time
The subtitle of Prof. Park's book is "A historical Essay on the Nature and Meaning of Light." That promise is faithfully kept in a thorough, erudite, and entertaining narrative. Park, a physicist, seems equally at home as historian, philosopher and classicist. Paying meticulous attention to the nuances of thought and language, he traces mankind's twenty-five century struggle to understand the phenomena of light and vision, beginning with Empedocles in Greek antiquity and ending in the quantum-mechanical era of Planck, Einstein and Bohr.

With scholarly patience, Park dissects and illuminates the struggles of early investigators to get a grip on the baffling mysteries of light and its interaction with the human eye. This often requires the author to pick bits of sense out of mounds of nonsense. He points out, for example, that even the wildly mistaken hypothesis of visual rays emanating from the eye led to some correct conclusions about geometric optics. Park also underscores the fact that taking the next step puts even the most accomplished scientists at risk. For example, Newton's particle interpretation of light incorrectly called for an increase of speed on passing from air to a denser material and (due to his influence and prestige) delayed acceptance of the wave interpretation pioneered by Huygens and conclusively demonstrated by Young. In an ironic twist, particles of light returned with a vengeance as thoroughly modern quantized photons.

Aside from some minor errors and omissions in figures, the only factual problems I encountered came on page 165, where convergence point P in Figure 6.5 is incorrectly called the focal point of the lens (this would be true only for incoming rays parallel with the optical axis), and the inverted real aerial image formed by the lens is misidentified as a virtual image.

Perhaps the most distinctive quality of "The Fire Within the Eye" is Park's astute and encyclopedic grasp of historical context. One senses that he is telling only a fraction of what he knows about the lives and times of the philosophers and scientists who populate the book.

Elegant!
A must read for everyone interested in Light. It explains everything - dual nature of light, polarization, diffraction, interference, colours, light as vibration of the fifth dimension, etc. Is useful both for the layman and the expert reader. The book's simplicity is its biggest advantage. From simplicity arises elegance. ... Read more

Book Description

Quantum mechanics sets fundamental limits on the amount of information one can extract from a system with a single set of measurements. Recent results of new theoretical analyses and optical experiments have given rise to a more complete knowledge of the quantum properties of light. This book gives the first detailed description of this fascinating branch of quantum optics. The author describes some key results and tools from quantum optics and then discusses the quantum mechanical description of simple optical instruments before giving a detailed treatment of quantum tomography. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to the problem of the simultaneous measurement of position and momentum. This book will appeal to graduate students and researchers in quantum opticsas well as anyone interested in the foundations of quantum mechanics or more general problems of quantum measurement. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A simple book for a basic understanding
"Measuring the quantum state of light" is an hard challenge for any experimental physicist working in this field. The book provides as easy understanding of the basic principle of the optical homodyne tomography. I found it very nice and well prepared. Unfortunately the book was written before the really outstanding experimental results from different groups in different countries so the reference list is not really updated. It provides a basic introduction inside the general problematics of measuring a quantum state and gives a post-graduate level discussion on the homodyne tomographic principles and methods. It is a wonderful mean to enter the quantum measuring field from an open door. It is clearly addressed to readers with a substantial background in quntum mechanics and quantum optics. Unfortunately it is really expensive compared to the number of pages and the informations added to people that are already in the field and have followed its evolution by reading the scientific papers on the subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Colour is an important and integral part of everyday life, and an understanding and knowledge of the scientific principles behind colour, with its many applications and uses, is becoming increasingly important to a wide range of academic disciplines, from physical, medical and biological sciences through to the arts.
Colour and the Optical Properties of Materials carefully introduces the science behind the subject, along with many modern and cutting-edge applications, chose to appeal to today's students. For science students, it provides a broad introduction to the subject and the many applications of colour. To more applied students, such as engineering and arts students, it provides the essential scientific background to colour and the many applications.
Features:
* Introduces the science behind the subject whilst closely connecting it to modern applications, such as colour displays, optical amplifiers and colour centre lasers
* Richly illustrated with full-colour plates
* Includes many worked examples, along with problems and exercises at the end of each chapter and selected answers at the back of the book
* A Web site, including additional problems and full solutions to all the problems, which may be accessed at: www.cardiff.ac.uk/uwcc/engin/staff/rdjt/colour
Written for students taking an introductory course in colour in a wide range of disciplines such as physics, chemistry, engineering, materials science, computer science, design, photography, architecture and textiles. ... Read more

Book Description

This book will be of assistance to anyone attempting to extract the maximum information, from any set of data, using curve fitting methods. In addition, the book shows how advanced fitting techniques such as robust fitting with splines and non-linear regression are applied to practical problems. The book also includes derivation of the statistical errors that are present in this type of analysis. It is written in a manner so that the impatient reader can rapidly get into fitting spectra. ... Read more

Book Description

The most up-to-date treatment available on modern optics. Covers classical topics and surveys the state of the art in applications including laser optics, fiber optics and medical imaging. The rigorous physical approach makes this text/reference suitable for courses in optics, physics and electrical engineering. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best available undergraduate optics text
This book is up-to date and broad in coverage. It has good treatments of paraxial matrix optics, fourier transform optics
(Fresnel-Kirchoff formulation), multiple thin films, and fiber optics, as well as other topics. Useful as a text for an undergraduate optics course or as a reference for someone who is familiar with optics on the level of introductory university physics. Requires background in Fourier transforms, electromagnetism up to Maxwell's equations, and matrix algebra for the relevant topics. End-of chapter problems are reasonable.

good for reference
This book has a great amount of pictures, figures, diagrams to give readers a good physical insight in Optics. But sometimes it gives too much not-so-related information (historical facts, analogies) to keep readers in focus. A good book if you already have some basic idea in Optics. ... Read more

Book Description

Equally valuable as a semester course for non-majors or an introduction for general readers, this text uses only a minimum of science and mathematical background to explain the physical principles of light. It emphasizes color: the properties of light and materials that give rise to it, how it is described and analyzed, how it is produced in nature, and how the eye sees it. Also discusses topics such as geometrical and wave optics and color phenomena, such as rainbows, that appear in nature. Learning aids include problems and exercises at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

This book discusses methods and results from the theory of homogenization and theirapplications to flow and transport in porous media. It offers a systematic and rigoroustreatment of upscaling procedures related to physical modeling for porous media on micro-,meso- and macro-scales. The chapters are devoted to percolation, Newtonian, non-Newtonianphenomena, two phase flow, miscible displacement, thermal and elastic effects. Detailedstudies of micro-structure systems and computational results for dual-porosity models arepresented. This book will be of interest to readers who want to learn the main underlyingideas and concepts of modern mathematical theory, including the most recently obtainedresults and applications. Mathematicians, soil physicists, geo-hydrologists, chemicalengineers, researchers working in an oil reservoir simulation and the environmentalsciences, will find this book of particular interest. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the greatest experimental scientists of all time, Michael Faraday (1791-1867) developed the first electric motor, electric generator, and dynamo--essentially creating the science of electrochemistry. This book, the result of six lectures he delivered at London's Royal Institution, concerns another form of energy--candlelight. Faraday titled the lectures "The Chemical History of a Candle," choosing the subject because, as he explained, "There is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play and is not touched upon [during the time a candle burns]." That statement is the foundation for a book that explores the components, function, and weight of the atmosphere; the function of a candle wick; capillary attraction; the carbon content in oxygen and living bodies; the production of carbon dioxide from coal gas and sugar; the properties of carbonic acid; respiration and its analogy to the burning of a candle; and much more. Unabridged republication of A Course of Six Lectures on the Chemical History of a Candle, originally published by Chautauqua Press, New York, n.d. New Introduction. Numerous illustrations.
... Read more

Reviews (4)

Breathes fire into science
This book changed my life.

During my Junior year, I decided to change my major from English (future law student) to physics. I went online, read reviews (thanks Amazon!) and ended up buying this book, Feynman's lectures, Dirac's quantum mechanics, and Bondii's relativity. To say that I look upon the summer spent reading these books fondly would be the understatement of a lifetime--I wish I could go back and learn it all again!

This book breathes science like few others. I only wish everyone (layman and professional) had an ear for the simple beauty which Dr. Faraday makes so plain.

The Chemical History of a Candle
My godmother brought me this book because I had to read it for school. This book was not amusing to me and to me his lectures were boring just like some teachers. At first I had interest in the book and then later on through the book I didn't want to read it anymore. You really have to love science and chemistry to read this book. I'm a junior in highscool so I think a lot of other teenagers will agree with me.

Faraday Fascinates
When Michael Faraday first introduced his "Christmas Lectures" over 100 years ago, he truly wowed the crowd. The man loved nature & science & eagerly presented his lessons in the most delightful manner and this book captures the fullness of his style. These lectures were originally intended for the youth of 19th century London but even today's savy students will be keen for this slender volume which delights, teaches and holds your attention. I am already recommending this book to our home school organization as an example of a 'good read' which brings elegant literature to the usually dry topic of science. It's exactly the type of book that will stir real interest in the subject, in young and old alike.

Charming book written in very elegant manner
I hesitate to compare the writing in this historical text to Shakespeare, however it will make you wish you could write this well. This is a highly entertaining book for people of all education levels with truly beautiful language. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Decent Overview
This book is a decent overview of standard topics. Sometimes he gets a little abstract, particularly in the area of aberrations. Also, you can correctly deduce from the length of the book that it is concise. I think of it as a reference for people who know what they're doing to quickly look-up facts. However, if your goal is to get insight on practical details and tricks, things that don't normally accompany a formal discussion but matter greatly in the lab, then this book is probably not ideal for you. The best I can recommend is the catalog from Melles Griot (amazingly enough, optics catalogs are almost as good as textbooks as they are as sales guides). ... Read more

Book Description

Raman spectroscopy is now well established as one of the most versatile techniques for the chemical analysis of molecular species. Major advances have been made in a number of areas in the field in recent years which enable the researcher and practising analytical scientist to solve the complex chemical problems of today. The ten chapters in Modern Techniques in Raman Spectroscopy cover some of the most exciting fields of research in modern Raman techniques, and illustrate the power of modern Raman spectroscopy for molecular analysis in both theoretical and practical problems. The volume opens with chapters on signal expressions and instrumentation in Raman spectroscopy, and then goes on to discuss in detail Fourier and Hadamard Transform Raman spectroscopies, micro-Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Raman optical activity, coherent and time-resolved techniques and the use of optical fibres in Raman spectroscopy. The chapters are written by leading researchers from a broad range of disciplines. Throughout, applications of the various techniques are discussed. Modern Techniques in Raman Spectroscopy will be of great interest to all those involved in molecular spectroscopy, in both industry and academia. The inclusion of a wide range of modern techniques in a single volume will make this a particularly valuable work to researchers across the whole field of Raman spectroscopy. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume describes the theory and practical implementation of three techniques for the generation of blue-green light: nonlinear frequency conversion of infrared lasers, upconversion lasers, and wide bandgap semiconductor diode lasers.In addition, it looks at the various applications that have driven the development of compact sources of blue-green light, and reflects on the recent application of these lasers in high-density data storage, color displays, reprographics, and biomedical technology. ... Read more

Book Description

“Now the time has actually arrived when … we have a subconscious glimmering of the impossibility of the modern approach to nature and some sense that things have to change.” —Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner’s course on light, which includes explorations of color, sound, mass, electricity and magnetism, presages the dawn of a new world view in the natural sciences that will stand our notion of the physical world on its head.

This “first course” in natural science, given to the teachers of the new Stuttgart Waldorf School as an inspiration for developing the physics curriculum, is based on Goethe’s phenomenological approach to the study of nature. Acknowledging that modern physicists had come to regard Goethe’s ideas on physics as a “kind of nonsense,” Steiner contrasts the traditional scientific approach, which treats phenomena as evidence of “natural laws,” with Goethean science, which rejects the idea of an abstract law behind natural phenomena and instead seeks to be a “rational description of nature.” Steiner then corrects the mechanistic reductionism practiced by scientific positivists, emphasizing instead the validity of human experience and pointing toward a revolution in scientific paradigms that would reclaim ground for the subject—the human being—in the study of nature.

From the Foundations of Waldorf Education Series ... Read more

Book Description

1941. From ancient mysticism to modern science. The story of color is nearly the story of civilization. There is hardly a trace of primitive man dug from a cavern or tomb that does not reveal at least a hint of color. History and culture have never been without color, although much that was symbolic has been lost through the years. This book attempts to review the history of color.The chapters have been written from notes the author has gathered over the years. ... Read more

Book Description

An original investigation into the social and technological history of solar power

From the days of Archimedes and Leonardo, the earliest efforts to harness the power of the sun have become the stuff of legend.

But it was not until the industrial revolution, with its great demands for fuel, that inventors --like Prometheus carrying fire from Mt. Olympus--began to build machines capable of channeling the sun's rays into usable energy.

In The Power of Light, solar energy expert Frank Kryza recounts the dramatic saga of solar invention, from its optimistic dawning in the mid-19th century to its impending triumph today. With a fervent passion for his subject, the author introduces solar pioneers such as Auguste Mouchot, whose solar-powered steam engine amazed Napoleon III, and Frank Shuman, whose solar pumping station, in 1911, became the largest and most cost-effective machine prior to the space age.

While presenting a thorough and original investigation into this little-known chapter of science history, The Power of Light offers a sober meditation on the revolutionary impact technology often has on society.

Reviews (2)

Very enlightening book---no pun intended
Because I live a block or so from Frank Shuman's inventor's compound in the Tacony community of Philadelphia, and due to my involvement in the local Historical Society, I was compelled to get this book. I read it in its entirety during last week's vacation and I was very impressed. It turned out that the localized focus on Shuman was but a bonus compared to the knowledge I've gained about the history of solar energy development in world history. Not only am I now more astute when it comes to this topic, but I've gained a new perspective on the local legend of Frank Shuman and his place in the evolution of solar power as a legitimate energy source. Mr. Kryza is to be commended for taking a scientific topic and making it interesting to someone like myself.

A fascinating foray into 19th century solar technology
This book tells an amazing story -- that of solar powered steam engines, great BIG ones -- on the banks of the Nile in Egypt before the First World War. Who would have thunk it?

The writing is gripping and reads like an Indiana Jones adventure yarn -- this isn't a textbook. And yet, though told like a story, this is nonfiction, and all this stuff really happened. The author points out that the science stories we remember widely from the 19th century, like those of Edison and Marconi, are those that impact our lives today. The story of solar power a century ago has been forgotten because most of us dismiss solar as a marginal technology, one that doesn't (or maybe can't) have a big impact on our lives. That view appears to be changing.

The writer traces the practical applications of solar power technology back to the Greeks and takes us through the 'burning mirrors' of the Middle Ages, but the main focus of the story is on an American entrepreneur who, having made millions from patenting safety devices as a young man, devoted the rest of his life to building huge solar-powered steam engines -- machines he believed could supply most of the energy the world would need in the 20th century.

Solar-powered steam fell into the doldrums during after World War I, but now it is experiencing a revival. There are solar-powered steam plants in California and Spain today (one in Barstow here in CA, which I have seen myself) that can produce 12 megawatts, enough to power 10,000 houses, and it appears that solar powered steam may give PV a run for its money in some locations.

This was a great read. I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Book Description

Professor Solomon Snickerdoodle performs scientific experiments to help explain the properties of light. ... Read more