The emergence of nonlinear optics in the wake of the laser's invention in 1960 revolutionized the field, leading to significant advancements in technology and scientific understanding. This book explores the development of nonlinear optics, highlighting key discoveries and applications that have shaped modern optics and photonics. It delves into the principles behind nonlinear interactions and their implications for various industries, showcasing the transformative impact of this discipline on both research and practical applications.
Following the birth of the laser in 1960, the field of "nonlinear optics" rapidly emerged. Today, laser intensities and pulse durations are readily available, for which the concepts and approximations of traditional nonlinear optics no longer apply. In this regime of "extreme nonlinear optics," a large variety of novel and unusual effects arise, for example frequency doubling in inversion symmetric materials or high-harmonic generation in gases, which can lead to attosecond electromagnetic pulses or pulse trains. Other examples of "extreme nonlinear optics" cover diverse areas such as solid-state physics, atomic physics, relativistic free electrons in a vacuum and even the vacuum itself. This book starts with an introduction to the field based primarily on extensions of two famous textbook examples, namely the Lorentz oscillator model and the Drude model. Here the level of sophistication should be accessible to any undergraduate physics student. Many graphical illustrations and examples are given. The following chapters gradually guide the student towards the current "state of the art" and provide a comprehensive overview of the field. Every chapter is accompanied by exercises to deepen the reader's understanding of important topics, with detailed solutions at the end of the book.
The 7th International Workshop on Nonlinear Optics and Excitation Kinetics in Semiconductors (NOEKS 7) was held at University Karlsruhe (TH) from 24-28 February 2003. Topics of NOEKS 7 Ultrafast dynamics (coherent effects, coherent controls, quantum kinetics, THz-experiments), photonic crystals (2D and 3D photonic band gap materials), quantum dot physics (quantum dots, quantum wires), spin effects (spin dephasing, spin transport), disorder-related effects, organic semiconductors, semiconductor quantum optics (luminescence, photon statistics), device physics (quantum cascade lasers, superlattices, interband lasers), and Bose-Einstein condensation of excitions.physica status solidi (c) - conferences and critical reviews publishes conference proceedings, ranging from large international meetings to specialized topical workshops as well as collections of topical reviews on various areas of current solid state physics research.
Whenever a physicist visits the physics faculty in Dortmund, he/she is bound to hear the success story of the so-called integrated course, a four-semester introduction to physics. These lectures are given by two professors simulta neously, one experimentalist and one theorist. After having asked the common question, „How many professors have killed each other?“, the visitor usually realizes that this is an excellent way of presenting a coherent introductiorl to both experimental and theoretical physics. We decided to try this concept in an advanced course on semiconductor physics. At that point the typical student has already had an introductory course in solid-state physics and solid-state theory. The aim of the lectures was to repeat some of the most important, well-known classics of semiconductor optics and transport and eventually guide the students to topics of current interest in research. When preparing the lectures, we did not find a textbook addressing all these aspects: experiment and theory in semiconductor optics and transport- which made us write this book. This book presents the phenomenology and a simple, in tuitive understanding of many effects and, in addition, attempts to explain the underlying physics on a consistent theoretical footing. Calculations are presented such that a student should be able to follow them with a pencil and a piece of paper.
