Book Description

Jasprit Singh presents the underlying physics behind devices that drive today's technologies utilizing carefully chosen solved examples to convey important concepts. Real-world applications are highlighted throughout the book, stressing the links between physical principles and actual devices. The volume provides engineering and physics students and professionals with complete coverage of key modern semiconductor concepts. A solutions manual and set of viewgraphs for use in lectures is available for instructors, from solutions@cambridge.org. ... Read more

Book Description

A concise, comprehensive reference text covering electro-optical systems, optical system design, optical physics, holography, Fourier optics, and optical metrology. Emphasizes physical insight aimed at engineering applications. Suitable as an advanced undergraduate or graduate level text; problems and solutions are included. ... Read more

Book Description

This textbook presents a systematic and unifying viewpoint for a wide class of nonlinear spectroscopic techniques in time domain and frequency domain. It is directed towards active researchers in physics, optics, chemistry, and materials science, as well as graduate students who enter this complex and rapidly developing field.

Nonlinear optical interactions of laser fields with matter provide powerful spectroscopic tools for the understanding of microscopic interactions and dynamic processes. One of the major obstacles facing researchers in this field, however, is the flood of experimental techniques and terminologies, which create a serious language barrier. The general microscopic correlation function approach to the nonlinear optical response developed in this book is essential for understanding the relationships among different techniques and a comparison of their information content, the design of new measurements, and for a systematic comparison of the optical response of different systems such as dyes in solutions, atoms and molecules in the gas phase, liquids, molecular aggregates and superlatives, and semiconductor nanostructures. The approach is based on formulating the nonlinear response by representing the state of matter by the density matrix and following its evolution on Liouville space. Current active research areas such as femtosecond time-domain techniques, semi-classical and wave-packet dynamics, pulse shaping, pulse locking, exciton confinement, and the interplay of electronic, nuclear and field coherence are emphasized.

The material has been developed from the author's highly successful interdisciplinary course at the University of Rochester attended by science and engineering graduate students. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Principles of Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy - a Must Have
This is an excellent and very important book. The subject of nonlinear optical spectroscopy is a rapidly emerging field that is important in chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science. This book provides the theoretical underpinning for the entire field. It deals with a large number of experimental methods and topics that are widely used. This is a complex subject, and this is not a simple book. To present the theory at a level that enables researchers to understand and design experiments, it is necessary to go into depth in subjects that are complex conceptually and mathematically. A simplified version of the theory would be easier to follow, but it would not be useful. This book is a must for anyone in the field of nonlinear optical spectroscopy, whether he is an experimentalist or a theoretician.

the bible for spectroscopists
Unfortunately, this book is pretty much the only comprehesive text on the subject, and if you're a grad student about to begin study in this field, you will need this book. Mukamel is certainly very knowledgable, and he gives a unified treatment of absorption, transient grating, and photon echo spectroscopies in terms of double-sided Feynman diagrams. However, his treatment is highly algebraic and builds no physical intuition of the phenomena. If you can understand him, you probably thoroughly understood the topics before you read the book anyway. Self-study with this book will be frustrating, but it's an important resource for instructors and others who already understand the topic. ... Read more

Book Description

Optical Filters play an important role in the areas of imaging, sensing, MEMS and photonics. Omnidirectional Optical Filters gives an integrated presentation of this new type of filter design that is rapidly becoming an integral part of these areas. Not only does the book give the reader a fresh look at the development of optical filter material; it is the first text dedicated to the explanation of omnidirectional optical filters.

Beginning with the description of the basic optical phenomena behind these filters, the book moves on to classical filter design, and then newer designs. For the first time, omnidirectional short-pass, band pass, band-blocking and narrow band-pass filter designs are explained in detail.

For graduate and undergraduate students interested in optics, photonics and MEMS, this book will give a thorough understanding of the design, fabrication and theory behind omnidirectional optical filters. Engineers in imaging, sensing and MEMS looking to learn more about these filters will also find it a valuable reference and tool. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an introduction to digital optics, presenting the basic concepts necessary to master working in the field on a professional level. It represents an attempt to unify two allied directions which have appeared at the boundary between optics and computer science, digital image processing and digital holography. It reflects the integration of computers into modern optical and imaging systems.

The book is aimed at comprehensive exposition of fundamentals of digital optics, or digital processing of optical and similar analog signals such as images, holograms, interferograms, etc. Distinctive features of the exposition are consecutive observance of the correspondence principle between analog signal transformations and their discrete representations, and emphasis on fast computational algorithms and adaptive processing methods.

A number of new contributions make the book a unique supplement to the existing literature on digital signal and image processing. Among these are a new approach to characterizing digital filters, a modified discrete representation of Fourier and Fresnel integral transforms, new efficient computational algorithms for signal convolution, spectral analysis, interpolation and generating 2-D random signals, a unified representation of fast orthogonal transform design of local adaptive linear and rank filters for image restoration, enhancement and object location. The book also discusses solutions of a broad circle of practical problems of digital optics including automated diagnosis of interference in optical signals and images, image restoration and enhancement, object location in images, and the digital synthesis of holograms.

Please note: In Figures 8.12 on page 230, a) and b) are reversed in the book ... Read more

Book Description

Symplectic geometry, well known as the basic structure of Hamiltonian
mechanics, is also the foundation of optics. In fact, optical systems
(geometric or wave) have an even richer symmetry structure
than mechanical ones (classical or quantum). The symmetries underlying
the geometric model of light are based on the symplectic group.
... Read more

Book Description

Destined to become the industry reference, this book offers comprehensive, complete, state-of-the-art information and procedures for installing fiber optic cable systems. This single resource cover in detail, all of the procedures for installation, testing and commissioning and troubleshooting of these systems. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of the process including cable installation, cable end preparation, connector installation, splicing, testing and troubleshooting and contains review questions. Features: -Presentation of complete information for installers of all fiber optic systems-The only source covering troubleshooting procedures-Comprehensive single source for detailed procedures-Optional connector installations steps to reflect increasing installation skills-Extensive figures and photographs enhance comprehensionALSO AVAILABLEINSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's Guide, ISBN: 0-8273-7319-8 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Easy to understand reference book.
I attended a Fiber Optic class taught by Mr. Pearson and found him to be an excellent instructor. This book is written the same way he teaches and is easy to understand. Since I don't build fiber cables on a daily basis I keep this book in front of me when I do build them. If you have never been taught to build fiber cables you can learn how from this book. However, you should note that building good fiber cables takes practice no matter how you learned to build them. Read this book carefully and you can do it. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is about nonlinear optics, the study of how high-intensity light propagates through and interacts with matter. It is a subject so scientifically rich and technologically promising that it is destined to become one of the most important areas of scientific research over the next quarter century. This book is written for graduate students and the newcomers to nonlinear optics, or anyone who wants to get a unified picture of the whole subject. It takes the reader from the starting point of Maxwell’s equations to some of the frontiers of modern research in the subject. The material is best taught in a year-long course. Students should have some familiarity with mathematical methods. Fourier series and Fourier integrals, elementary complex variables, elementary ordinary and partial differential equations, and vector calculus and should have has a course (undergraduate level is sufficient) in electromagnetic theory. Chapters contain description, theory, worked-out exercises and problems, and applications. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Imagine a world in which words have colors and sounds have tastes. In his autobiography, Vladimir Nabokov described this neurological phenomenon, which helped inspire David Hockney's sets for the Metropolitan Opera. Richard Feynman experienced it while formulating the quantum theory that won him a Nobel Prize.

Sometimes described as a blending of perceptions, synesthesia occurs when only one of the fives senses is aroused but two respond. Journalist Patricia Lynne Duffy draws from her own struggles and breakthroughs with synesthesia to help us better understand the condition, while describing some of the major theories surrounding it.

An illuminating examination of the world of synesthetes, Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens is a must-read for science and health buffs, as well as for artists, writers, and creative thinkers-or anyone generally intrigued by the brain, the senses, and perception.
... Read more

Reviews (4)

An Interesting Book...
I first happed upon this book by first hearing about it through a slew of synastesia web sites I had come across in my search to understand what was going on in my own head.

I as a synasthete really loved reading her personal stories and reflections and some of the research that she's found along the way. And especially loved listening to people talk about their colored letters and how they differed from mine and the shapes people saw and how they were a brigher reflection of the shapes I dimly see listening to music.

The reason that this book got only four stars is because of the fact that she acts like there isn't really that much information on synesthesia so she starts repeating the things she's said before.

If you're willing to step into the world of synesthesia and seeing for yourself the things that we see then this is a good book to start from.

Informative and fun!
I first learned about the phenomenon of synesthesia in a review of Blue Cats in the journal Cerebrum, where Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, a world authority on synesthesia says, "This book is a delight. As far as I know, this is the first time a synesthete has written about what it is like to live with this neurological condition - one in which the senses are intermingled, so that the spoken word, "cat", for example, may consistently be experienced as blue." The review prompted me to get the book, which opened my eyes to the very different ways that people can perceive the world. I recommend 'Blue Cats'

Tedium... yawn
I find synethesia fascinating and have read a few excellent articles on theories of the neurological basis.

This book wasn't just boring, it was tedious. I only skimmed certain pages in the second half of the book. I grew tired of reading the colors of different synethetes' letters, for example. To know that one person sees a green 'A' and another sees a blue 'A' is not compelling. A good half of the book was comprised on such droning descriptions in run-on sentences.

There were mentions of researchers in the field but little information about the research. Some famous historical figures were mentioned as well, which was interesting, but only ~10 pages worth of the book.

I would recommend this book to no one. If you got it free, I would be hesitant to recommend you spend your time reading it. Such prose may be interesting to people with a high synesthetic response, I'll leave that open as an unknown. As someone with only mild such perception but with high curiosity about neurological functioning, I found reading this book a compulsive chore.

This gets two stars instead of one since there were no gross spelling errors, the font was readable, and other trivial details.

SEEING THE COLORS OF WORDS; FEELING THE TASTES OF SHAPES
This is a wonderful book. Seeing the colors of the letters of the alphabet; feeling the shapes of the tastes of different foods-these are examples of synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that produces a "blending" or "combining" of sensory responses. Author, Patricia Lynne Duffy, a synesthete herself, uses her own experiences as the point of departure to take the reader on a journey that deftly illustrates the pervasiveness of this way of perceiving in the world and raises many deeply philosophical and sociological questions.
In Ms. Duffy's young childhood, her father discovered that synesthesia existed as a documented neurological condition after he went searching for an answer as to why his daughter saw each of the letters of the alphabet in a specific color. Ms. Duffy's book moves from these intimate and extremely touching early synesthetic recollections into the broad and fascinating subject of synesthesia in the world at large. The book is a feast for the mind. We learn that the French symbolist poets Rimbaud, Baudelaire, and Gautier were synesthetes. As is world-renowned painter David Hockney who uses the colors he sees in his syesthetic perceptions in his paintings. As does artist, Carol Steen. But even non-synesthetic artists such as Paul Klee and Georgia O'Keefe employed "techniques of transforming" that belong to the "blended" or "combined" sensory perceptions of the synesthetic experience.
In exploring her subject, Patricia Duffy has given us a rich compilation of information that touches on almost every discipline: the arts, science, the brain, health, philosophy, religion. But most fascinating to this reader is the fundamental question that the book raises about the very nature of perception itself. As Dr. Peter Grossenbacher from the National Institute of Mental Health points out at the beginning of his foreword to the book, "William James, the father of American experimental psychology, observed that each mind has its own way of perceiving the world." How are we to regard this uniqueness of individual perception when as Ms. Duffy points out, "In life so much depends on the question, do you see what I see? that most basic of queries that binds human beings socially." And even among synesthetes, each person has their own individual synesthetic perception, the color of one synesthete's letter A, for example being different from another's. Perhaps the most intriguing idea of all that Ms. Duffy's book puts forth is in her wonderful chapter entitled, Everything Fights For Its Survival-Even A Perception: "Like every other living thing on this earth, a personal perception of reality, too, will fight for its survival. And, as with every other living thing on this earth, the only way to ensure survival is by learning to coexist with others vastly different." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great two-volume set
This is the second book in a two-volume set. Volume IIIA (608 pages) deals primarily with system-related issues. The second volume, IIIB (515 pages) delves into greater detail regarding the design and performance of critical components used in optical fiber telecommunications.

Like volume IIIA, volume IIIB consists of chapters written by different authors. Although many of the chapter authors come from Lucent and/or Bell Labs, they do a good job of keeping the book at an academic level that is largely devoid of excess or offensive commercialism. This is a first-rate book that needs to be read and understood by anyone seriously engaged in engineering activities related to optical fiber telecommunications.

Each chapter is written in what is an essentially self-contained manner (though many chapters make reference from time to time to other chapters in either of the two volumes - a welcome thing as it brings continuity to the two-volume set). After a nice overview by Kaminow, volume IIIB dives right into what is arguably the single most important optical component to be developed for telecommunications in the 90's: the erbium-doped fiber amplifier. As with most chapters, chapter 2 does not overwhelm the reader with long mathematical derivations. Instead, it places at the engineer's disposal the relevant mathematical equations necessary for important analysis, as well as a wealth of references at the end of the chapter that facilitate further reading and the most quantitative analysis. This chapter covers all the important features of amplifier design, from gain to saturation, noise figure, coupling loss, polarization effects, pumping schemes, components, and various ways in which the amplifier may be used (in-line amplifier, power amplifier, etc.).

Chapter three covers transmitter and receiver design for amplified lightwave systems. The material in this chapter is high level. Topics include things like extinction ratio, rise/fall time, chirp, mode partitioning, and polarization mode dispersion. The emphasis is on how specific attributes of the transmitter and receiver interact with other components in the transmission system to affect overall system performance. Thus, the chapter not only discusses what laser chirp is, what causes it, and how to reduce it, it also delves into the system implications of chirp and describes why it is bad, and how to determine how much you can tolerate.

Chapters four, five, and six are something of a trilogy. Chapter four introduces the idea of laser sources in general for amplified and WDM lightwave systems. Chapter 5 continues the subject by describing advances in semiconductor laser growth and fabrication technology. Chapter 6 goes into more specific detail regarding vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Of these three chapters, chapter four is the most generic, and (at least for me) by far the easiest to follow. Chapter four covers subjects like direct modulation of DFB lasers, external modulation, integration of modulator and laser, making DFB lasers with discrete and stable wavelengths for WDM systems, fiber-based lasers using fiber-Bragg gratings (FBGs), tunable lasers, and a smattering on waveguide gratings and DFB array WDM sources.

While chapter 4 was easy for me to follow, I found chapters 5 and 6 rather difficult. Both these chapters are very well written, and the authors are clearly quite expert in their fields. The material, however, is sufficiently specific to the details of design that I found myself lacking much of the prerequisite information and knowledge expected by the authors. I think that chapters 5 and 6 will be of most use to people who actually work in or very closely with semiconductor laser growth technology and/or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. I did come away knowing lots more about these technologies than I did going into the chapters (things like how and why lattice strain is used in the design of semiconductor lasers, for example) but a more basic introduction would have helpful to me.

Chapter 7 put me back into more familiar territory with discussions about optical fiber components and devices. Topics include fiber dispersion compensators, fiber gratings, gratings in planar waveguides, and high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers. This chapter tends to be at a high level, with little specific information or mathematical equations.

Chapter 8 is really quite interesting. The title is "Silicon Optical Bench Waveguide Technology." Like chapters 5 and 6, chapter 8 gets into more detail about specific design and manufacturability issues. Since I have more background in this area, though, I found the chapter at about the right level for me (it did not leave me feeling as lost as chapters 5 and 6 did). One of the most interesting developments in this chapter (for me, at least) was the section on Fourier filter multiplexers. The chapter also has a relatively good quantitative description (you will need to fill in some of the derivations yourself) of couplers as well as star couplers and waveguide grating routers.

Chapter 9 is a good discussion on lithium niobate integrated optics, covering issues of design as well as performance and specification. It also highlights their applications as switches, modulators, and polarization scramblers/controllers as well as wavelength filters. Chapter 10, the last chapter, reviews photonic switching technologies. There is some useful information about switching fabrics, along with generic information about important specifications.

Both volumes have a good index and extensive chapter references, making this one of the best general-purpose desk reference volumes I've found for engineers involved in lightwave communications systems.

Useful and timely
Chapter 12 is worth the price alone: The authors have done a remarkable job of getting to the heart of solitions.

A comprehensive review
Optical Fiber Telecommunications III is designed for anyone engaged in engineering work related to the fiber-optics telecommunications industry. There seems to be little doubt about the revolutionary path leading to full deployment of fiber in the telecommunications backbone network, or the trends moving fiber closer to and closer to end users. Yet, while this continual deepening of fiber into the national network progresses steadily, a new revolution has overtaken photonics in the backbone: dense wavelength-division multiplexing, or DWDM. DWDM, perhaps more than any other technology, is the reason that the third edition of this seminal work is needed today. It's not too surprising, then, that most of the third edition is directly or indirectly related to design concerns related to DWDM.

This text is best described as an engineer's desk reference. The scope is large, necessitating breaking the book into two volumes. Volume III A deals mostly with system issues and concerns, delving into more esoteric component issues primarily to illustrate the wider network implications. Volume III B deals more with specific component design issues, such as sources, detectors, and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs).

As a desk reference, there are few derivations of equations from first principles. Perhaps the closest derivation is that of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation in chapter 12 on soliton transmission. Even here, however, the derivation is sketchy at best. For the most part the book simply places the equations at the reader's disposal. I found most of the equations are explained well, and most of the chapter authors included numeric examples, charts, and graphs. This helps immensely in understanding the implications of the many equations presented throughout the text. For those interested in derivations, each chapter comes with extensive endnotes so that anyone interested in reviewing the original work can easily do so.

One problem with the text revolves around definitions of mathematical variables and constants. Though they are all defined as introduced to the reader, there is no glossary of these terms. I constantly found myself writing in the books margins little notes like "alpha is the total loss coefficient, first used in equation x on page y." Since different authors write each chapter in the book, it may not be practical to have a glossary of terms for the entire volume - usage will probably overlap. Still, it would be nice had the editors suggested that each chapter have a glossary of mathematical variables. It would make the book far more practical and useful as a desk reference. On a more positive note, however, the book does contain a detailed and useful index.

Even without derivations, the book contains a plethora of equations and charts to satisfy the needs of most quantitatively oriented engineers. It's a good introductory book for those with a modest background in optical telecommunications technology. It's also a useful book for those more familiar with the technology, but needing a handy reference source with most of the pertinent information conveniently bound between two covers. Volume A contains 15 chapters in roughly 600 pages. Volume B is slightly smaller, having 10 chapters in roughly 500 pages.

For me, the two most interesting and useful sections of the book were chapter 8, "Fiber nonlinearities and their impact on transmission systems," and chapter 12, "Solitons in high bit-rate, long-distance transmissions." Chapter 12 is probably one of the best written. Although the subject matter is among the most difficult covered in the book, L. F. Mollenauer, J.P. Gordon, and P. V. Mamyshev have done a remarkable job of explaining solitions in a quantitative, accurate, yet clear and concise manner.

The first chapter in the book, a brief overview by Ivan P. Kaminow, provides some interesting historical insights and background, but has relatively little pertinent information for the design engineer. The second chapter deals at a high level with SONET and ATM technologies, explaining the requirements that led to the development of these standards and some of their topologies such as chains and self-healing rings. Chapter 3 deals with coding and error correction in optical fiber. This chapter was interesting in its use of fundamental physics (such as quantum noise) to examine the need for coding.

The next chapters move from coding and protocol to issues in the physical layer. Chapter 6 deals with polarization effects, the origin of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and how to measure PMD. On a similar theme, chapter 7 deals with the subject of chromatic dispersion and, perhaps more importantly, the subject of dispersion compensation. One of the interesting facts about DWDM is that elimination of dispersion is no longer a design goal, as it is with single-wavelength transmission systems. In DWDM systems the designer wants just the right amount of dispersion - not too much, and not too little. There are even situations in which the dispersion map matters - in other words, you cannot always count on being able to place large bulk amounts of compensating dispersion just in front of the optical receiver. Sometimes you need to distribute it along the fiber's length.

Two chapters, 9 and 10, deal with the specific design concerns of terrestrial and undersea lightwave systems, while chapter 14 deals with the substantial concerns of analog video transmission over optical fibers. Chapter 11 deals with advances in high bit-rate transmission systems (this chapter tends to be somewhat dated, and the situation will only get worse with passing time). Chapter 13 surveys the types of fiber architectures in current and possibly future networks. Finally, Ivan P. Kaminow finishes the book with a chapter on advanced multi-access lightwave networks, which is primarily the switched DWDM network (another chapter subject to dating).

This is an extremely valuable book for anyone involved in Photonics in the telecommunications network. I highly recommend it. Whether you read it cover to cover, or simply keep it handy as a desk reference, I'm sure you will find it well worth the cover price. ... Read more

Book Description

Optical character recognition and document image analysis have become very important areas with a fast growing number of researchers in the field. This comprehensive handbook with contributions by eminent experts, presents both the theoretical and practical aspects at an introductory level wherever possible. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent book for researchers in this field.
It contains 31 chapters, begins from image processing methods, and OCR stages all the way to post processing stages. At the first glance I thought it was a collection of papers in some conference, but then I found that it not, although each chapter has the look and feel of a paper (Abstract, Introduction, ..., References) it seams that the editors has selected separate authors to write each chapter of the book as a stand alone. This book is more like a reference book than a page to page reading. It covers most part of the OCR system, and has dedicated special chapters for languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean Hangul, and even Arabic Characters. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Electro-Optics Handbook
The best book in the market for people who are new to the field and a very good reference, a must have, for experienced engineers in the field. It contains the cutting edge information about integrated optical circuits which is particularly interesting for people in MEMS area. ... Read more

Book Description

The main topic of the book is the use of Polymer Optical Fibres for data communication. The first two chapters describe the basic physics of optical fibres and the specific properties of POF. The next chapters summarise the history of POF development, including the explanation of different index profiles from the simple step index type to the graded index POF. The next three chapters give comprehensive review of sources for POF systems and published transmission systems including WDM and analogue systems. The calculation of power budgets is described, giving some examples and general formulas and guidelines. Measurement techniques and standards are the content of further chapters, closing with remarks on international POF activities. ... Read more

Book Description

This book assembles for the first time in a single text the full range of astronomical and engineering principles used in the design and construction of large telescopes. It aims to cover all aspects of the field, from the fundamentals of astronomical observation, to optics, control systems, and structural, mechanical, and thermal engineering, as well as such specialized topics as site selection and program management. The book is the result of the collaboration of many leading astronomers, engineers, and project managers. Their contributions have been edited to provide a consistent approach and treatment: for example, ground- and space-based telescopes are treated from a common perspective. Topics covered include: - Design Methods and Project Management - Telescope Optics - Stray Light Control - Structure and Mechanisms - Pointing and Control - Active and Adaptive Optics - Thermal Control - Integration and Verification - Observatory Enclosure and Siting ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a thorough description of the fundamentals and applications in this field. Basic concepts such as the optical and thermal properties of tissue, the various types of tissue ablation, and optical breakdown and its related effects are treated in detail. Special attention is given to mathematical tools (Monte Carlo simulations, the Kubelka--Munk theory etc.) and approved techniques (photodynamic therapy, laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy etc.). The part on applications reviews clinically relevant methods in modern medicine using the latest references. The last chapter covers today's standards of laser safety, with a careful selection of essential guidelines published by the Laser Institute of America. Numerous research photographs, illustrations, tables and comprehensive summaries make this book a useful guide for graduate students, scientists, and medical practitioners. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent book
This is an excellent book for anyone working in this field. The book covers everything from the basic theory to the latest applications. Detailed descriptions of each type of interaction mechanism and detailed references on each type of application are given. The second edition has been completely revised and updated. Highest ratings by Prof. Berns and Prof. van Gemert in their own classes. A MUST for your book shelf.

Concise and Practical
This book provides a concise review of laser-tissue interaction. It begins by introducing a brief theoretical foundation in tissue optics and moves on to describing various interaction and ablation mechanisms. The chapters are very well organized, the materials are well presented, and equations are used only when necessary. A large chapter is dedicated to introducing various medical applications of lasers in different clinical fields. The materials in this book are very suitable for scientists, engineers, and physicians involved in biomedical optics.However, since the release of this book, significant progress has been made in this area, which requires the author to substantially update information and development in the next edition. ... Read more

Book Description

A complete and balanced account of communication theory, providing an understanding of both Fourier analysis (and the concepts associated with linear systems) and the characterization of such systems by mathematical operators. Presents applications of the theories to the diffraction of optical wave-fields and the analysis of image-forming systems. Emphasizes a strong mathematical foundation and includes an in-depth consideration of the phenomena of diffraction. Combines all theories to describe the image-forming process in terms of a linear filtering operation for both coherent and incoherent imaging. Chapters provide carefully designed sets of problems. Also includes extensive tables of properties and pairs of Fourier transforms and Hankle Transforms. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lifesaver
If you want to survive a first year graduate class on Fourier Optics, get this book. Gaskill is precise and comprehensive, presenting concepts incrementally with ample diagrams to illustrate all along the way. I've got Goodman and Bracewell on my shelf, but it's Gaskill's that's saving my life this semester.

Well written and complete
I consider Gaskill's book to be the best I've seen for advanced undergraduate and first-year graduate classes on linear systems. Gaskill approaches the subject in a clear and understandable style while dealing with the subject in a complete and quantitative manner. Though he does not eschew mathematical rigor by any means, the text is well written and logically formatted, making it refreshingly easy to follow what is, in other texts, a more difficult subject. Though I've filed Gaskill's book in my library alongside other dealing with optics, this is primarily a book on mathematics, but written more for engineers and scientists than for mathematicians.

After a brief introduction, the author begins (in chapter 2) with a quick summary of mathematical concepts, including classes of functions, one and two-dimensional functions, complex numbers, phasors, and the scalar wave equation.

The third chapter introduces useful functions (many of a discontinuous nature) that find application in modeling linear systems. These include step functions and the impulse function in both one and two dimensions. Development of these functions follows an intuitive path that reflects the way in which they are often used. The many figures are particularly useful in conveying concepts more effectively.

Chapter four develops the theme of harmonic analysis by introducing the notion of orthogonal expansions and extending this development to the Fourier series, leading to development of the Fourier integral. The chapter finishes with some worked examples showing the spectra of simple functions. Chapter 7 seems a little out of place, since it deals with the Fourier transform, yet appears in the book several chapters later, after the author introduces the concepts of linear systems and the convolution.

Though one of the shorter chapters, chapter five is pivotal, and develops the idea of mathematical operators and physical systems - with the crucial development of the impulse response. The application of the impulse response is extended by chapter 6, which develops the mathematics of convolution. For a linear, shift-invariant system the impulse response convolved with the input to the system gives the system's output.

Chapter 8 pulls together the material in the previous chapters to mathematically describe the characteristics and applications of linear filters. Examples include amplitude filters, phase filters, combination amplitude and phase filters, and some interesting applications showing (for example) how to filter the noise from a signal of interest. All this development is strictly mathematical, with no real-world worked examples (except in the abstract). Nevertheless, this chapter is very useful and (in the author's style) easy to understand and follow.

Chapter 9 deals with two-dimensional convolutions and the two-dimensional Fourier transform. This chapter is essentially an extension of the earlier one-dimensional developments in earlier chapters, but introduces some useful mathematical tools, including the convolution and Fourier transform in polar coordinates. The Hankel transform, developed in this chapter, is particularly useful for work in optics where many examples (laser beams, for instance) exhibit circular symmetry. In these examples the two-dimensional integrals may be greatly simplified by the Hankel transform to a one-dimensional form where (even in the absence of a closed-form equation) they are far more tractable. The chapter concludes with useful tables of common transforms.

Chapter 10 leaves the almost purely mathematical forum of the previous chapters by introducing the subject of propagation and diffraction of optical waves. Gaskill first develops the mathematics of the optical waves and then derives the equations that show how these waves are diffracted. Not surprisingly, the diffraction fields are expressible in terms of the transforms developed earlier in the book. The chapter also describes the influence of optical lenses on the diffraction patterns and the very important subject of propagation of Gaussian beams (since many laser beams, and the fundamental mode in weakly guiding optical fibers have Gaussian profiles).

Chapter 11 continues the optical theme by explaining image-forming systems. The student will be particularly enabled in this chapter if he or she has had prior exposure to the subject of diffraction and perhaps some exposure to the idea of image aberrations. The book ends with appendix 1, on special functions, and appendix 2, on elementary geometric optics. Each chapter has a list of references, and problems for the student, and the book has a complete index making it useful as a desk references book as well as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and first-year graduate coursework.

Gaskill's book is mathematically intense, but the author's style and frequent use of figures makes the book surprisingly easy to read. Prerequisites for this book should include a couple of years of calculus, differential equations, and a smattering of linear algebra. Some exposure to concepts in optics, including diffraction and aberrations would also be helpful.

Gaskill's book will be helpful far beyond optics, with applications in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, digital image processing, or anywhere else that linear systems might be encountered.

The best, practical book for this subject.
Jack Gaskill and his book is the most practical book on this subject. His examples and explainations are straightforeword and organized. ... Read more