Light Matter Interaction

This book offers a didactic introduction to light–matter interactions at both the classical and semi-classical levels. Pursuing an approach that describes the essential physics behind the functionality of any optical element, it acquaints students with the broad areas of optics and photonics. Its rigorous, bottom-up approach to the subject, using model systems ranging from individual atoms and simple molecules to crystalline and amorphous solids, gradually builds up the reader’s familiarity and confidence with the subject matter. Throughout the book, the detailed mathematical treatment and examples of practical applications are accompanied by problems with worked-out solutions. In short, the book provides the most essential information for any graduate or advanced undergraduate student wishing to begin their course of study in the field of photonics, or to brush up on important concepts prior to an examination.

A thorough introduction to atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science and engineering stands at the confluence of strong scientific and technological currents in physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. It seeks ways to expand our ability to use light for many purposes: to observe and manipulate matter at the atomic scale, to use nanostructures to manipulate light at the subwavelength scale, to develop quantum devices, and to control internal molecular motion and modify chemical reactivity with light. The two-volume Light-Matter Interaction draws together the principal ideas that form the basis of AMO science and engineering. Volume 1: Fundamentals and Applications fills many gaps left by standard courses and texts in chemical physics and electrical engineering to supply the basis of what the AMO scientist or engineer needs to build a solid foundation of understanding in the field. Organized to serve as both textbook and reliable desk reference to a diverse audience ranging from student and novice to advanced practitioner, this book discusses both the fundamentals and common applications, including: * Classical absorption and emission of radiation * Quantum dipole coupling to the two-level system * The optical Bloch equations * Quantized fields and dressed states * Optical forces and cooling from atom-light interaction * The laser in theory and practice * Geometrical and wave optics: theory and applications * The Gaussian beam and optical resonators

This book draws together the essential elements of classical electrodynamics, surface wave physics, plasmonic materials, and circuit theory of electrical engineering to provide insight into the essential physics of nanoscale light-matter interaction and to provide design methodology for practical nanoscale plasmonic devices. A chapter on classical and quantal radiation also highlights the similarities (and differences) between the classical fields of Maxwell's equations and the wave functions of Schrödinger's equation. The aim of this chapter is to provide a semiclassical picture of atomic absorption and emission of radiation, lending credence and physical plausibility to the "rules" of standard wave-mechanical calculations. The structure of the book is designed around five principal chapters, but many of the chapters have extensive "complements" that either treat important digressions from the main body or penetrate deeper into some fundamental issue. Furthermore, at the end of the book are several appendices to provide readers with a convenient reference for frequently-occurring special functions and explanations of the analytical tools, such as vector calculus and phasors, needed to express important results in electromagnetics and waveguide theory.

This book draws together the principal ideas that form the basis of atomic, molecular, and optical science and engineering. It covers the basics of atoms, diatomic molecules, atoms and molecules in static and electromagnetic fields and nonlinear optics. Exercises and bibliographies supplement each chapter, while several appendices present such important background information as physics and math definitions, atomic and molecular data, and tensor algebra. Accessible to advanced undergraduates, graduate students, or researchers who have been trained in one of the conventional curricula of physics, chemistry, or engineering but who need to acquire familiarity with adjacent areas in order to pursue their research goals.

This thesis presents optical methods to split the energy levels of electronic valleys in transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) by means of coherent light-matter interactions. The electronic valleys found in monolayer TMDs such as MoS2, WS2, and WSe2 are among the many novel properties exhibited by semiconductors when thinned down to a few atomic layers, and have have been proposed as a new way to carry information in next generation devices (so-called valleytronics). These valleys are, however, normally locked in the same energy level, which limits their potential use for applications. The author describes experiments performed with a pump-probe technique using transient absorption spectroscopy on MoS2 and WS2. It is demonstrated that hybridizing the electronic valleys with light allows one to optically tune their energy levels in a controllable valley-selective manner. In particular, by using off-resonance circularly polarized light at small detuning, one can tune the energy level of one valley through the optical Stark effect. Also presented within are observations, at larger detuning, of a separate contribution from the so-called Bloch--Siegert effect, a delicate phenomenon that has eluded direct observation in solids. The two effects obey opposite selection rules, enabling one to separate the two effects at two different valleys.

Light-matter interaction is pervasive throughout the disciplines of optical and atomic physics, condensed matter physics, electrical engineering, and now increasingly in biology and medicine with frequency and length scales extending over many orders of magnitude. Deep earth and sea communications use frequencies of a few tens of Hz, and X-ray imaging requires sources oscillating at hundreds of petaHz. This book provides advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers from diverse disciplines with the principal tools required to understand and contribute to rapidly advancing developments in light-matter interaction, centred at optical frequencies and length scales from a few hundred nanometres to a few hundredths of a nanometre. This book deploys an arsenal of powerful analytic tools to render this multidisciplinary subject in unique form, not encountered in standard Physics or Electrical Engineering text books. This new edition has been substantially expanded with almost 200 pages of new material. Several new and extended chapters treat momentum flow between fields and matter, metamaterials, and atom-optical forces applied to atomic and molecular cooling and trapping.

Dieser Band fasst systematisch alle Begriffe und Konzepte zusammen, die das Fundament der Atom- und Molekülforschung, Optik und Technik bilden: Atome, zweiatomige Moleküle, Atome und Moleküle in statischen und elektromagnetischen Feldern, nichtlineare Optik. Physikalische und mathematische Definitionen, ausführliche Tabellen und ein Überblick über die Tensoralgebra wurden der besseren Lesbarkeit des Haupttextes halber in umfangreiche Anhänge ausgelagert. Jedes Kapitel schließt mit Übungsaufgaben und Angaben zur weiterführenden Literatur ab.

"This book provides a sound and up-to-date description of the theory and applications of photon science. It starts by discussing the foundations and fundamental development of theory before introducing concepts such as optical angular momentum, quantum entanglement, and vacuum fluctuations. Applications such as photodetection, spectroscopy, and elementary particle physics are addressed, as well as optical communications, optical fabrication and manipulation, nonlinear optics, quantum information and computing, imaging, energy harvesting, and lighting. The book concludes with a brief perspective on the future of photonics. Although all of the key equations are included, substantial theory is delivered with a light touch, and the text is copiously illustrated with color figures"--