Laser Pulses

The Frequency-Resolved Optical-Gating (FROG) technique has revolutionized our ability to measure and understand ultrashort laser pulses. This book contains everything you need to know to measure even the shortest, weakest, or most complex ultrashort laser pulses. Whether you're an undergrad or an advanced researcher, you'll find easy-to-understand descriptions of all the key ideas behind all the FROG techniques, all the practical details of pulse measurement, and many new directions of research. This book is not like any other scientific book. It is a lively discussion of the basic concepts. It is an advanced treatment of research-level issues.

This smooth introduction for advanced undergraduates starts with the fundamentals of lasers and pulsed optics. Thus prepared, the student is introduced to short and ultrashort laser pulses, and learns how to generate, manipulate, and measure them. Spectroscopic implications are also discussed. The second edition has been completely revised and includes two new chapters on some of the most promising and fast-developing applications in ultrafast phenomena: coherent control and attosecond pulses.

Ultrashort laser pulses with durations in the femtosecond range up to a few picoseconds provide a unique method for precise materials processing or medical applications. Paired with the recent developments in ultrashort pulse lasers, this technology is finding its way into various application fields. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the principles and applications of ultrashort pulse lasers, especially applied to medicine and production technology. Recent advances in laser technology are discussed in detail. This covers the development of reliable and cheap low power laser sources as well as high average power ultrashort pulse lasers for large scale manufacturing. The fundamentals of laser-matter-interaction as well as processing strategies and the required system technology are discussed for these laser sources with respect to precise materials processing. Finally, different applications within medicine, measurement technology or materials processing are highlighted.

Ten years ago, Stanley L. Shapiro edited the book entitled Ultrashort Light Pulses (Topics Appl. Phys., Vol. 18), which was written by eight experts in the field. Six years later, Charles V. Shank added a bibliography (1980-1983) in the second edition with approximately one thousand new references. During the past decade the field has grown so rapidly that a completely new book had to be written. In particular, the reduction of the time scale of light pulses into the femtosecond range has opened up new experimental possibilities never even foreseen in the preceding literature. The vast literature with countless ideas and applications makes it impossible for a single person to write a comprehensive review. Nine scientists, actively working in the field since its beginning, have decided to join forces to prepare a new book describing the present state of the art. Emphasis is placed on the generation and numerous applications of ultrashort laser pulses. This book covers a wide area of science: physics, engineering, chemistry, and biology. The various chapters and sections are prepared in each case such that the reader is given a brief introduction to the specific subject. Ample references for a more detailed study are given at the end of each chapter.

This book discusses aspects of laser pulses generation, characterization, and practical applications. Some new achievements in theory, experiments, and design are demonstrated. The introductive chapter shortly overviews the physical principles of pulsed lasers operation with pulse durations from seconds to yoctoseconds. A theory of mode-locking, based on the optical noise concept, is discussed. With this approximation, all paradoxes of ultrashort laser pulse formation have been explained. The book includes examples of very delicate laser operation in biomedical areas and extremely high power systems used for material processing and water purification. We hope this book will be useful for engineers and managers, for professors and students, and for those who are interested in laser science and technologies.

Learn about the many biological and medical applications of ultrashort laser pulses. The authors highlight and explain how the briefness of these laser pulses permits the tracing of even the fastest processes in photo-active bio-systems. They also present a variety of applications that rely on the high peak intensity of ultrashort laser pulses. Easy-to-follow examples cover non-linear imaging techniques, optical tomography, and laser surgery.

This second edition in paperback provides an up-to-date review of the state of the art in different generation processes for ultrashort laser pulses. Inaddition, extensive applications in a wide range of fields - in physics,engineering, chemistry, and biology - are discussed: Eight chapters dealwith the following topics: -the generation of picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses -nonlinear wave interactions - new investigations in solid-state physics - recent progress in optoelectronics - advances in coherent material excitations - ultrafast vibrational lifetimes and energy redistribution in liquids - new observations of chemical reactions in the liquid state - the primary processes of important biological systems The book is essential reading for scientists and engineers who want to know what is going on in this rapidly advancing field. It should also interest graduate students and others who seek an introduction to laserpulses.

An introduction to the fundamentals of lasers and pulsed optics, teaching readers the physics behind short and ultrashort laser pulses, and how to manipulate and measure them. Additionally, the text presents experiments and discusses the spectroscopic implications. This well-rounded book provides an up-to-date insight into one of the most exciting fields of laser physics.