Laser Sources and Applications

This tutorial introduction presents the basic principles of the development of solid state, fiber, semiconductor, and parametric sources of coherent radiation at a level suitable for postgraduate research students and others with a basic knowledge of lasers and nonlinear optics. Encompassing both the physics and engineering aspects of the field, the book covers the nature of nonlinear optical interactions; solid state, fiber, and semiconductor lasers; optical parametric oscillators; and ultrashort pulse generation and applications. It also explores applications of current interest, such as electromagnetically induced transparency, atomic trapping, and soliton optical communications.