Laser Physics PDF

PREFACE

This book treats the interaction of radiation with matter, particular attention being paid to the laser. Knowledge is assumed of the usual half-year introduction to quantum mechanics found in undergraduate physics curricula. The material can be covered in two semesters, or, alternatively, the first part (Chaps. 1-13) can be used as a one-semester course in which quantummechanical aspects of the electromagnetic field are ignored. Each chapter is accompanied by problems that illustrate the text and give useful (occasionally new) results.

Existing laser media are intrinsically quantum mechanical and are most easily studied with the quantum theory. Understanding the laser along these lines enlivens one’s understanding of quantum mechanics itself. In fact, the materia] constitutes a viable, applied alternative for the usual second and third semesters of quantum mechanics.

The text format lends itself quite well to reference use, particularly with regard to the fundamental concepts of laser physics. There is leeway for some detailed extensions, notably in the problems, but we have deliberately sacrificed generality for the sake of clarity. An understanding of the simpler theories enables one to work with the more general extensions available in the original literature or to treat new problems oneself

Authors: MURRAY SARGENT III, MARLAN O. SCULLY, WILLIS E. LAMB, JR.