Masers and Lasers: An Historical Approach examines the progress of research and practical use of lasers chronologically, covering the fundamental science in detail alongside fascinating biographical sketches of famous physicists and summaries of seminal papers. It supplies helpful drawings of prototype devices, conceptual diagrams to aid in underst

Since the invention of the first working laser in 1960, development of these devices has progressed at an unprecedented rate, to the extent that the laser is now a common part of everyday life, from the semiconductor laser used in CD players and telecommunication systems to the high power eximer lasers used in manufacturing processes. This book tra

This book explains in an accessible way how the concept of the photon was introduced by Einstein who also helped discover many of its properties, and how it interacted with many physical phenomena while revolutionizing the world of physics. Replete with short biographies of the main contributors to the history, the book begins with the historical and scientific conditions that led to the quantization of the electromagnetic field. This upended previously held assumptions about the nature of...

This monograph provides an introductory discussion of evanescent waves and plasmons, describes their properties and uses, and shows how they are fundamental when operating with nanoscale optics. Far field optics is not suitable for the design, description, and operation of devices at this nanometre scale. Instead one must work with models based on near-field optics and surface evanescent waves. The new discipline of plasmonics has grown to encompass the generation and application of plasmo...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time pl...

By year 1911 radioactivity had been discovered for over a decade, but its origin remained a mystery. Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus and the subsequent discovery of the neutron by Chadwick started the field of subatomic physics — a quest for understanding the fundamental constituents of matter.This book reviews the important achievements in subatomic physics in the past century. The chapters are divided into two parts: nuclear physics and particle physics. Written by renowned authors...

This first open access volume of the handbook series contains articles on the standard model of particle physics, both from the theoretical and experimental perspective. It also covers related topics, such as heavy-ion physics, neutrino physics and searches for new physics beyond the standard model.A joint CERN-Springer initiative, the “Particle Physics Reference Library” provides revised and updated contributions based on previously published material in the well-known Landolt-Boe...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORSThe science classic made more accessible• More concise • IllustratedFROM ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT MINDS OF OUR TIME COMES A BOOK THAT CLARIFIES HIS MOST IMPORTANT IDEASStephen Hawking’s worldwide bestseller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for years readers have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts—the nature of space and time, the role o...

“French Nobel Laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji is second to none in his understanding of the modern theory and application of atom-photon interactions. He is also known for his lucid and accessible writing style … Advances in Atomic Physics is an impressive and wonderful-to-read reference text … Certainly researchers in the fields of atom-photon interactions and atom traps will want it as a reference on their bookshelves … A selection of chapters may be of benefit to students: the early cha...

Determining the structure of molecules is a fundamental skill that all chemists must learn. Structural Methods in Molecular Inorganic Chemistry is designed to help readers interpret experimental data, understand the material published in modern journals of inorganic chemistry, and make decisions about what techniques will be the most useful in solving particular structural problems.Following a general introduction to the tools and concepts in structural chemistry, the foll...

Physics is the science that deals with the properties and interrelationship of matter and energy. It studies mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, radiation, and atomic structure. This tale stretches from 2000 BCE to 1945 and introduces the reader to the brilliant men and women from Thales of Miletos to Albert Einstein who working alone or collaboratively made it all possible.

The first successful field theory was created by the Scottish Physicist James Clerk Maxwell in the mid -19th century – the electromagnetic field theory.Then in the early 1900s, Einstein spent 30yrs of his life developing a unified field theory but all in vain.One limitation with Einstein's work was at first his rejection, and then his ignorance of quantum theory.Einstein was motivated by an intellectual need to unify the forces of nature. He felt very strongly that ...