Laser Fundamentals [Hardcover]

William T. Silfvast (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521554241 | ISBN-13: 978-0521554244 | Publication Date: May 31, 1996

Laser Fundamentals provides a clear, up-to-date, and comprehensive introduction to the physical and engineering principles of laser operation and design. Simple explanations, based throughout on key underlying concepts, lead from the basics of laser action to advanced topics in laser physics and engineering. The author discusses the concepts of amplification, gain-bandwidth, and broadening in detail, as well as topics such as Q-switching, mode-locking, and waveguide lasers. The author gives descriptions of the twenty most common types of laser toward the end of the book, and he concludes with a chapter devoted to frequency multiplication. Containing worked examples and many homework problems, the book will be invaluable to undergraduate and first year graduate physics and electrical engineering students taking courses on lasers. The summaries of key types of lasers and extensive references will also make it a useful reference volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...will serve as an excellent textbook for teaching advanced undergraduate and graduate students about lasers...it does present all of the information needed for a basic understanding of lasers...Silfvast does an excellent job of presenting a well-organized and thoughtful book. The figures are exceptionally clear and informative, and the use of highlighting equations throughout is particularly useful...a useful text for the student as well as the practicing scientist or engineer..." Jim Tatum, Optics & Photonics News

"Silfvast is an excellent explainer...a fresh approach. Laser Fundamentals is a good read, and I recommend it to students and teachers alike." Physics Today

"...provides a comprehensive introduction to the physical and engineering principles of laser operation and design." International Aerospace Abstracts

Book Description

Simple explanations, based throughout on key underlying concepts, lead from the basics of laser action to advanced topics in laser physics and engineering. The text discusses the concepts of amplification, gain-bandwidth, and broadening in detail as well as Q-switching, mode-locking, and waveguide lasers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 547 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 31, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521554241
• ISBN-13: 978-0521554244
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,802,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for beginners, August 24, 2003

By 

Raghavan Jayaraman (Albuquerque,NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laser Fundamentals (Paperback)

I was looking for a good laser book tried svelto, siegman but they were written at a comparatively higher level, so I found this book, boy! what a relief. I guess the best part of the book is that the author doesn't stress too much on mathematics, electromagnetics or advanced optics. Moreover the early chapters deals with all the fundamentals required to understand lasers (that is covered in later chapters)

Bottomline: If you need a quick yet thorough introduction to lasers, this is the book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, but mistakes, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Laser Fundamentals (Paperback)

This book is a good crash course on lasers. It does not have much physical insight which would be nice, but it does run through the basic formulas and concepts you should know. That's a little different from what a physics/math major is used to, but....eh. good enough for government work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy the Second Edition!!!, January 30, 2005

By 

seeking candidacy in Quantum Optics - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laser Fundamentals (Hardcover)

This book is incredible! It will take the reader with an understanding of Calculus and Differential Equations and provide them with inside to a sufficient level of science and notation (from quantum mechanics, Russell-Sauders, etc) and give you all the skills required to design a laser. I have the good fortune of taking the class from the Author, who created the first blue-helium metal vapor laser. His book is providing the insight to the lectures, so I think I could have learned it all just from the text. By the end of this text, I will have designed my first laser, and considering I had never seen one until a few weeks ago... I am fully thankful to this great book, and all the experiences that the contributor gave us. The text has sufficient derivation to see that he's not just dropping down equations, and it is combined with the many figures which explain the physics and actual test data which give you a 'feel' for what is happening. I particularly like the chapter intros that tell you where you are going, but the chapters are packed with information. This was my first formal introducion to quantum mechanics, laser design, material gain, etc. and it is definately coherent. I predict that this book will be in my collection long after my other texts have been donated to other students or colleagues, because I will not part with it.