Nonlinear Fiber Optics, Fourth Edition (Optics and Photonics) (Hardcover)

by Govind Agrawal (Author)
Key Phrases: optical solitons, pulse propagation, parametric amplification, After Ref, Quantum Electron, Lightwave Technol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
REVIEWS OF THE FIRST EDITION "This book is...timely and occupies a unique niche...On an absolute scale, it is an excellent book the same level as the very best books published to date on optical fiber and systems in general." - OPTICS AND PHOTONICS NEWS "This is a well written, self contained, and extensively referenced book. It is a useful reference for experts, and could well be used as a text for graduate courses...a welcome addition to the quantum electronics literature." - K.K.LEE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, COLORADO SPRINGS --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Taking into account recent research on polarization, additions have been made to chapters on stimulated Raman scattering and four-wave mixing. Targeted for optical engineers, researchers, scientist and graduate students, the 549-page volume addresses pulse propagation in fibers.-Photonics Spectra, january 2007

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 4 edition (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0123695163
• ISBN-13: 978-0123695161
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #686,022 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quantitative text on nonlinear fiber optics, August 14, 2000

By	Duwayne Anderson (Saint Helens, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Nonlinear Fiber Optics, Second Edition (Optics and Photonics) (Hardcover)

This is a serious book written at a graduate-student or advanced-under-graduate level for the practicing professional employed in designing optical telecommunications systems and components. I don't think the book was written with students particularly in mind, since (for example) there are no examples or problems in the book as typically found in university course work In his introduction, Agrawal says "[t]he book is aimed for researchers already engaged in or wishing to enter the filed of nonlinear fiber optics." As the title suggests, the book's emphasis is on nonlinear effects in optical fibers, as opposed to nonlinear effects in bulk materials.

The first chapter is pretty basic, and is mostly review material that describes things like the index cross section in an optical fiber, material issues, fabrication, chromatic dispersion, modal birefringence (which leads to polarization mode dispersion), non linear refraction and stimulated inelastic scattering. The review here is pretty brief (the chapter has only about 25 pages).

Chapter two develops the mathematics of wave propagation in optical fibers, including the mathematics of mode propagation and basic propagation equations derived from Maxwell's equations. This chapter actually develops several different differential equations; each based on various assumptions applicable to different pulse widths. These differential equations then form the basis for later investigations into various non-linear effects discussed in the book. Chapter two is thus a foundational chapter and should be read and understood completely before moving on. There is a brief discussion at the end of the chapter that describes numerical methods.

Chapter three describes group-velocity dispersion, including chromatic dispersion as well as dispersion-induced pulse broadening and higher-order dispersion and their implications for optical systems.

Chapter four introduces self-phase modulation and self steepening.

Chapter five describes optical solitons (including fundamental and higher order solitions), soliton lasers, and soliton-based communications systems.

Chapter 6 describes some techniques for optical pulse compression using gratings and chirped optical pulses. It also describes soliton-effect compressors.

Chapter 7 is devoted to the subject of cross-phase modulation, chapter 8 to stimulated Raman scattering, chapter 9 to stimulated Brillouin scattering, and chapter 10 to parametric processes, including four-wave mixing, parametric gain, and phase matching.

The book is quantitative, making (as you'd expect in a graduate text) liberal use of mathematics. The level of mathematics, however, should be well within the grasp of senior college students majoring in physics, engineering, or mathematics. The subject, however, is non-trivial, and you should expect this book to present a real intellectual challenge in reading and understanding all the details. I took about six months to finish the book, including time taken to fill in some details in the derivations and to plot some of the equations on my computer.

Agrawal makes good use of figures and illustrations, which I found particularly helpful. The book also has an adequate index that makes the book more valuable as a desk reference.

Each chapter cites a wealth of reference material in the literature so that any subject covered within its pages can be studied in more detail and from the original sources.

I would not make this a first study of nonlinear optics (although it was for me). Rather, I'd look for texts that discuss nonlinear effects qualitatively, and I'd try to expose myself to experiments that illustrate these nonlinear effects to gain a more qualitative understanding before diving into Agrawal's mathematical derivations. With a more qualitative basis first acquired, however, Agrawal's book is an invaluable tool for understanding the most obscure nonlinear effects in optical fibers.

3.0 out of 5 stars Be cautious! a lot of errors, June 15, 2009

By	X. CHEN - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are so many careless errors in the most important equations in this book. Some plots are wrong too. Some claims are ungrounded.

Not for entry level. For expert who already knows this stuff and who can easily spot his errors. Otherwise you will be so confused and almost wanted to kill yourself after sitting there staring at those erroneous equations. Should be used as a reference only if you have decided to make fiber optics your life. I had my worst year in college reading this book. My professor also agrees somehow with me that this book needs to be revised.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best book I've ever red on nonlinear optics., October 1, 2004

By	Denis Morgunov (Russia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Nonlinear Fiber Optics (Optics and Photonics) (Hardcover)

I'm absolutly sure that everyone can find something useful in this book, no matter who you are - a novice in this subject or well experienced researcher in optics.

This book is also useful as a reference book on nonlinear effects. I very often find this book in hand.