By B D Guenther
Oxford University Press
This book is the result of a one-semester course that has been taught by the author to juniors, seniors and first-year graduate students in physics and engineering at Duke University for 13 years.
It gives an overview of the fundamentals in optical science, the principals of which are explained by using a rigorous approach based on Maxwell’s equations. Besides the classical topics, the book includes some material not found in more conventional textbooks on the subject: nonlinear optics, guided waves, photonic structures, surface plasmons and more. Anisotropy is also largely discussed, even if it needs the use of tensors, because of its importance in modern optics.
This 2nd edition retains an emphasis on both the fundamental principles of optics and exposure to actual optical-engineering problems and solutions. It introduces a large number of applications such as laser optics, fiber optics and medical imagining, which makes the book appealing to engineering students and professors.
A selection of optional material has also been added in the appendices, adaptable to different interests and to stimulate further reading. Many pictures, tables and diagrams accompany the text, making the exposition clear and complete.
