Light-Matter Interaction, Fundamentals and Applications, Vol. 1

Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering stands at the confluence of strong scientific and technological currents in physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. It seeks ways to expand our ability to use light for many purposes: to observe and manipulate matter at the atomic scale, to use nanostructures to manipulate light at the subwavelength scale, to develop quantum devices, and to control internal molecular motion and modify chemical reactivity with light. The two-volume Light-Matter Interaction draws together the principal ideas that form the basis of AMO science and engineering. Volume 1: Fundamentals and Applications fills many gaps left by standard courses and texts in chemical physics and electrical engineering to supply the basis of what the AMO scientist or engineer needs to build a solid foundation of understanding in the field.

Organized to serve as both textbook and reliable desk reference to a diverse audience ranging from student and novice to advanced practitioner, this book discusses both the fundamentals and common applications, including:

• Classical absorption and emission of radiation
• Quantum dipole coupling to the two-level system
• The optical Bloch equations
• Quantized fields and dressed states
• Optical forces and cooling from atom-light interaction
• The laser in theory and practice
• Geometrical and wave optics: theory and applications
• The Gaussian beam and optical resonators

In this first in a two-volume set, two distinguished professors with wide-ranging scientific backgrounds assess the ideas that form the basis of atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering. Suitable both as an advanced undergraduate or graduate-level text in the field and as a reference for practicing scientists and engineers, the volume covers both the basics and common applications including classical adsorption and emission of radiation; the optical Bloch equations; and the Gaussian beam and optical resonators, among others. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

JOHN WEINER graduated from Pennsylvania State University with high distinction and received his PhD from the University of Chicago. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Optical Society of America, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the French Physical Society, and the French Optical Society. He has held many academic and research positions throughout the United States and France, and is currently a professor at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. P.-T. HO is a professor of electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has taught courses in electronics, electromagnetics, quantum electronics, and loudspeaker design. He received all his degrees from M.I.T., and has worked on optical semiconductor devices, ultrashort pulse techniques, and high power switches.