Optics, Light and Lasers

Dieter Meschede was born in Lathen/Ems, Germany, in 1954. From his early days on he liked to wander through the world and has thus studied physics in several places including Hannover, Cologne, Boulder, and Munich. He has been professor of experimental physics since 1990. Professor Meschede is now based at the University of Bonn, Germany, where his current scientific interests concentrate on light-matter interactions at the most elementary level, i.e. with single atoms and single photons.

From reviews of the first edition:"The scientific content and theoretical thread that builds up the book are excellent. [...] This is an excellent scientific book that is pleasant (even enjoyable) to read."Advanced Materials "What I really like about the book is the large selection of clearly marked examples and 'excursions' within the text. They offer a connection between fundamental physics and modern technological and scientific applications. This is often missing in other books, leaving the reader wondering what all the formalism could be used for. Here, one always has the feeling that the treated subject is of relevance to areas of modern research. [...] I can certainly recommend the book to newcomers who wish to get both an introduction into the fundamentals as well as an overview of modern optical applications."ChemPhysChem

• 1. Light Rays2. Wave Optics3. Light Propagation in Matter4. Optical Images5. Coherence and Interferometry6. Light and Matter7. The Laser8. Laser Dynamics9. Semiconductor Lasers10. Sensors for Light11. Laser Spectroscopy12. Photons -An Introduction to Quantum Optics13. Nonlinear Optics I: Optical Mixing Processes14. Nonlinear Optics II: Four-wave MixingAppendix A: Mathematics for OpticsAppendix B: Supplements in Quantum Mechanics