This book covers recently discovered laser beam types. It is divided in three main sections. The first section introduces the basics of optical waves and their propagation in frequency or time domains, as well as electromagnetic field quantization. The second section is dedicated to generating and characterizing laser beams in space and time. The final section focuses on novel laser beams such as flat-top beams, Helmholtz-Gauss beams, vector beams, low-coherence beams and angular momentum of light.
The text is easy to read and is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It is an excellent book for anyone working in laser beam propagation, and an asset for any library.
Review by Daniela Dragoman, full professor, faculty of physics at the University of Bucharest, Romania.
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.