A nontechnical account of the fundamental science behind lasers, the history of their discovery and development, the various kinds in use today, their many applications, and the potential both for evolving technology and wider applications
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Review:
It is curious that although H. G. Wells had invading Martians use destructive, focused "heat rays" in 1898, and although Einstein laid their theoretical foundation in 1917, lasers weren't invented until 1960. Perhaps in homage to Wells, our image of lasers often has more to do with weaponry than with the lasers in our printers, compact disc players, grocery stores, and telephone systems. Bell Labs physicists James Harbison and Robert Nahory illuminate (ahem) the quantum principles behind modern semiconductor lasers in far greater and clearer detail than is usual in popular accounts. The result is a first-class introduction to optics, quantum chemistry, and electronics, as well as a guide to the "Age of Optoelectronics" that is just beginning.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherW H Freeman & Co
- Publication date1997
- ISBN 10 0716750813
- ISBN 13 9780716750819
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages214
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Rating