Understanding Lasers : An Entry-Level Guide

Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.

ISBN: 9780470088906 | 0470088907
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 6/10/2008

Rent

(Recommended)

$70.22

Term

Due

Price

Semester

Dec 12

$78.01

Quarter

Aug 31

$74.11

Short Term

Aug 13

$70.22

*This item is part of an exclusive publisher rental program and requires an additional convenience fee. This fee will be reflected in the shopping bag.
Buy New

Currently Available, Usually Ships in 24-48 Hours

$99.88

Updated to reflect advancements since the publication of the previous edition, Understanding Lasers: An Entry-Level Guide, 3rd Edition is an introduction to lasers and associated equipment. You need only a minimal background in algebra to understand the nontechnical language in this book, which is a practical, easy-to-follow guide for beginners. By studying the conceptual drawings, tables, and multiple-choice quizzes with answers provided at the back of the book you can understand applications of semiconductor lasers, solid-state lasers, and gas lasers for information processing, medicine, communications, industry, and military systems.

Preface	p. xi
Introduction and Overview	p. 1
The Idea of the Laser	p. 1
What is a Laser?	p. 3
Laser Materials and Types	p. 7
Optical Properties of Laser Light	p. 10
How Lasers are Used	p. 15
What Have We Learned?	p. 17
Physical Basics	p. 21
Electromagnetic Waves and Photons	p. 21
Quantum and Classical Physics	p. 29
Interactions of Light and Matter	p. 41
Basic Optics and Simple Lenses	p. 49
What Have We Learned?	p. 55
How Lasers Work	p. 59
Building a Laser	p. 59
Producing a Population Inversion	p. 60
Resonant Cavities	p. 66
Laser Beams and Resonance	p. 73
Wavelength Selection and Tuning	p. 81
Laser Excitation Techniques	p. 84
What Have We Learned?	p. 88
Laser Characteristics	p. 93
Coherence	p. 93
Laser Wavelengths	p. 96
Behavior of Laser Beams	p. 101
Laser Power	p. 105
Laser Efficiency	p. 108
Duration of Emission	p. 113
Polarization	p. 117
What Have We Learned?	p. 119
Optics and Laser Accessories	p. 125
Classical Optical Devices	p. 125
Transparent Optical Materials	p. 136
Optical Surfaces, Coatings and Filters	p. 137
Nonlinear Optics	p. 141
Beam Intensity and Pulse Control	p. 145
Beam Direction and Propagation	p. 151
Mounting and Positioning Equipment	p. 153
Optical Measurement	p. 155
What Have We Learned?	p. 157
Types of Lasers	p. 161
Laser Oscillators and Optical Amplifiers	p. 161
Laser Media	p. 166
The Importance of Gain	p. 173
Broadband and Wavelength-Tunable Lasers	p. 175
Laser-Like Light Sources	p. 178
What Have We Learned?	p. 180
Gas Lasers	p. 185
The Gas Laser Family	p. 185
Gas-Laser Basics	p. 186
Helium-Neon Lasers	p. 193
Argon- and Krypton-Ion Lasers	p. 197
Metal-Vapor Lasers	p. 200
Carbon Dioxide Laser	p. 203
Excimer Lasers	p. 208
Chemical Lasers	p. 212
Other Gas Lasers	p. 215
What Have We Learned?	p. 216
Solid-State and Fiber Lasers	p. 223
What is a Solid-State Laser?	p. 223
Solid-State Laser Materials	p. 225
Optical Pumping	p. 230
Ruby Lasers	p. 234
Neodymium Lasers	p. 237
Vibronic and Tunable Solid-State Lasers	p. 243
Erbium and Other Eye-Safe Lasers	p. 249
Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Lasers	p. 250
Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Amplifiers	p. 256
Raman Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers	p. 258
What Have We Learned?	p. 259
Semiconductor Diode Lasers	p. 265
Basics of Semiconductor Diode Lasers	p. 265
Semiconductor Basics	p. 267
Light Emission at Junctions	p. 276
Layers and Confinement in Diode Lasers	p. 281
Confinement in the Junction Plane	p. 286
Edge-Emitting Diode Lasers	p. 290
Surface-Emitting Diode Lasers	p. 294
Quantum Wells and Dots	p. 297
Quantum Cascade Lasers	p. 298
Optical Properties of Diode Lasers	p. 300
Diode Laser Materials and Wavelengths	p. 302
Silicon Lasers	p. 308
Packaging and Specialization of Diode Lasers	p. 309
What Have We Learned?	p. 312
Other Lasers and Related Sources	p. 317
Tunable Dye Lasers	p. 317
Extreme-Ultraviolet Sources	p. 323
Free-Electron Lasers	p. 328
Silicon Lasers	p. 332
What Have We Learned?	p. 334
Low-Power Laser Applications	p. 339
Advantages of Laser Light	p. 340
Reading with Lasers	p. 341
Optical Disks and Data Storage	p. 344
Laser Printing and Marking	p. 347
Fiber-Optic Communications	p. 350
Laser Measurement	p. 355
Laser Pointers, Art, and Entertainment	p. 359
Low-Power Defense Applications	p. 361
Sensing and Spectroscopy	p. 363
Holography	p. 369
Other Low-Power Applications	p. 372
What Have We Learned?	p. 372
High-Power Laser Applications	p. 377
High- Versus Low-Power Laser Applications	p. 377
Attractions of High-Power Lasers	p. 378
Materials Working	p. 379
Electronics Manufacturing	p. 387
Three-Dimensional Modeling	p. 389
Laser Medical Treatment	p. 390
Photochemistry and Isotope Separation	p. 398
Laser-Driven Nuclear Fusion	p. 401
High-Energy Laser Weapons	p. 403
Futuristic High-Power Laser Ideas	p. 409
What Have We Learned?	p. 410
Lasers In Research	p. 415
Lasers Open New Opportunities	p. 415
Laser Spectroscopy	p. 417
Manipulating Tiny Objects	p. 421
Atom Lasers and Bose-Einstein Condensates	p. 423
Slow Light	p. 424
Nanoscale Lasers	p. 425
Petawatt Lasers	p. 426
Attosecond Pulses	p. 428
Laser Acceleration	p. 430
Other Emerging Research	p. 430
What We Have Learned	p. 433
Answers to Quiz Questions	p. 437
Laser Safety	p. 441
Handy Numbers and Formulas	p. 447
Resources and Suggested Readings	p. 451
Glossary	p. 455
Index	p. 467
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Please wait while the item is added to your bag...

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Understanding Lasers : An Entry-Level Guide

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Understanding Lasers : An Entry-Level Guide

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License