Perusal of this unique, highly recommended, monumental encyclopedia, consisting of 2250 pages in five illustrated volumes, supports the claim that this work reflects the broad, interdisciplinary fields of modern optics. Its strength is in the scope of the topics and their concise and rigorous exposition of the physics, the structure and the manufacture of the devices, and their limitations and applications.
The articles reflect the experience of the editors-in-chief and their editorial board that selected the contributors—experience that touches on optics research and development in military, academic and industrial sectors. Articles range from nonuniqueness in imaging, metamaterials, organic lasers, organic semiconductors, light sources and detectors, to the detection of gravitational waves.
Readers will benefit from exposure to content that is outside their usual field of interest, and the adaptation of theory, devices, and production methods across various fields of optics will serve to stimulate the progress and development of optics in disparate fields. Seminal examples of this technology transfer include adaptive optics (adapted from astronomy to biomedical imaging), and low-coherence interferometry (adapted from fiber optic fault testing to ocular low-coherence tomography). References and a detailed index are provided.
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.