I posit that a limiting step in the reader’s ability to develop new, innovative photonic devices that will change our world is the depth of understanding of light and its interaction with matter. Andrews, a creative researcher, author and pedagogue, has edited a gem of clarity, well suited for graduate students, that is comprehensive, clearly written, and provides an exposition of modern optics that stresses the fundamentals.
I found the color illustrations and the text highly integrated, the fundamental physics clear, and the selection of references eminently useful. These topics from the index indicate the scope and the exciting topics that fill the book: entangled photons, Glauber’s coherence theory, gravitational-wave detection, helically phased beams, orbital angular momentum, Poincaré sphere, quantum electrodynamics (QED), slow and fast light, squeezed light, structured light, vacuum fluctuation, and virtual states.
This book is part of a four volume set on photonics. Our knowledge of light is expressed in quantum optics, statistical optics, nonlinear optics, and quantum electrodynamics; all these topics are developed in splendid detail. Andrew’s book is highly recommended as a window to the foundations of photonics, and the gain in understanding is amplified by careful study of the seminal references.
Review by Barry R. Masters, Fellow of AAAS, OSA and SPIE.
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.