'This book is quite clearly a graduate-level textbook for materials scientists and condensed matter physicists, but the wide-ranging review of laser materials will also make it an attractive reference book for specialists in the solid-state spectroscopy and laser fields.' John F. Ryan, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Preface; 1. An introduction to lasers; 2. Symmetry considerations; 3. Optical crystals: their structures, colours and growth; 4. Energy levels of ions in crystals; 5. Spectra of ions in crystals; 6. Radiationless transitions; 7. Energy transfer and excited state absorption; 8. Covalency; 9. Engineering the crystal field; 10. The crystal field engineered.

'This book is quite clearly a graduate-level textbook for materials scientists and condensed matter physicists, but the wide-ranging review of laser materials will also make it an attractive reference book for specialists in the solid-state spectroscopy and laser fields.' John F. Ryan, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Preface; 1. An introduction to lasers; 2. Symmetry considerations; 3. Optical crystals: their structures, colours and growth; 4. Energy levels of ions in crystals; 5. Spectra of ions in crystals; 6. Radiationless transitions; 7. Energy transfer and excited state absorption; 8. Covalency; 9. Engineering the crystal field; 10. The crystal field engineered.

'This book is quite clearly a graduate-level textbook for materials scientists and condensed matter physicists, but the wide-ranging review of laser materials will also make it an attractive reference book for specialists in the solid-state spectroscopy and laser fields.' John F. Ryan, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Preface; 1. An introduction to lasers; 2. Symmetry considerations; 3. Optical crystals: their structures, colours and growth; 4. Energy levels of ions in crystals; 5. Spectra of ions in crystals; 6. Radiationless transitions; 7. Energy transfer and excited state absorption; 8. Covalency; 9. Engineering the crystal field; 10. The crystal field engineered.