The growing availability of ultrafast laser sources has helped the rapid expansion of nonlinear optics into mainstream applications. To my knowledge, this is the first book on nonlinear optics specifically for biological, chemical and materials.
The polarization dependence of nonlinear optical interactions carries greater inherent information content than conventional linear effects. This book provides a framework for polarization analysis in second- and third-order nonlinear optical measurements focusing on second harmonic generation, two-photon excited fluorescence, sum frequency generation, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy/stimulated Raman spectroscopy. It contains a rigorous mathematical treatment for their interpretation.
There is a little disorganization in the glossary, as some of the frequently used abbreviations in the following chapters are not included. Still, this book has many specific examples and is written in an accessible manner.
Review by Reva Garg, Instituto de Física, Universidade de Brasília
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.