This book considers some general laser-induced processes that are involved in laser-matter interactions. A brief review is presented about a very interesting application of laser beams in the fields of materials science: the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured films by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). In addition, safe and precise cavity detection, especially of dangerous or inaccessible voids, is essential to safe production in a working mine. The advantages and disadvantages of laser detection systems are analysed, and a combination of laser scanning techniques and conventional survey methodology is proposed. Other chapters in this book present an overview on laser cladding, a discussion of the applications of structured laser beams in laser refractography technology, a review of some fundamentals of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and an analysis of laser forming of steel parts by means of diode lasers.

The book is geared toward engineers and laser physicists involved in the development of laser-based systems, especially laser systems for directed energy applications. It begins with a review of basic laser properties and moves to definitions and implications of the various standard beam quality metrics such as M2, power in the bucket, brightness, beam parameter product, and Strehl ratio. The practical aspects of beam metrology, which have not been sufficiently addressed in the literature, are amply covered here. For those who are only interested in measuring Gaussian beams from commercial lasers, a reading of Chapter 1, Chapter 2 "What Your Laser Beam Analyzer Manual Didn't Tell You," and the first three sections of Chapter 6 "Cautionary Tales" will be sufficient. For those working in more off-the-map fields such as unique lasers, unstable resonators, multikilowatt lasers, MOPAs, or requirements generation and development, a reading of the entire text is recommended.

This book deals with theoretical bases of the modern optics division concerned with coherent light fields with singularities characterized by phase uncertainty. Singular light fields include laser vortex beams or beams that carry orbital angular momentum. Laser vortex beams that have been introduced in optics in recent years are discussed in detail. Among them, of special notice are families of asymmetric laser vortex beams that, while being devoid of radial symmetry, remain unchanged upon propagation. What makes the laser vortex beams especially interesting is the ability to preserve their structure while propagating in a scattering medium or through a turbulent atmosphere. The orbital angular momentum is an extra degree of freedom of laser vortices because beams with different topological charge can be utilized as independent channels for data transmission in wireless communications. Laser vortex beams are generated from conventional Gaussian beams using liquid crystal light modulators, which are now readily available at any optical laboratory. Provide a framework for the comparative analysis of the efficiency of different vortex beams for micromanipulation. Includes detailed illustrations, enabling the vortex structure to be easily understood even by non-experts. Presents detailed descriptions of more than a dozen most popular types of vortex laser beams. Explores how optical vortices have been used in many practical applications including conventional and quantum wireless communications, micromanipulation, optical measurements with super-resolution, spiral interferometry, microscopy, and atom cooling. Presents in a systematic and detailed form many analytical and numerical results for the propagation vortex optical beams (chiefly in the linear propagation regime).

From science fiction death rays to supermarket scanners, lasers have become deeply embedded in our daily lives and our culture. But in recent decades the standard laser beam has evolved into an array of more specialized light beams with a variety of strange and counterintuitive properties. Some of them have the ability to reconstruct themselves after disruption by an obstacle, while others can bend in complicated shapes or rotate like a corkscrew. These unusual optical effects open new and exciting possibilities for science and technology. For example, they make possible microscopic tractor beams that pull objects toward the source of the light, and they allow the trapping and manipulation of individual molecules to construct specially-tailored nanostructures for engineering or medical use. It has even been found that beams of light can produce lines of darkness that can be tied in knots. This book is an introductory survey of these specialized light beams and their scientific applications, at a level suitable for undergraduates with a basic knowledge of optics and quantum mechanics. It provides a unified treatment of the subject, collecting together in textbook form for the first time many topics currently found only in the original research literature.

How do laser beams propagate? Innovative discoveries involving laser beams and their propagation properties are at the heart of Laser Beam Propagation: Generation and Propagation of Customized Light. This book captures the essence of laser beam propagation. Divided into three parts, it explores the fundamentals of how laser beams propagate, and provides novel methods to describe and characterize general laser beams. Part one covers the physical optics approach to the propagation of optical waves, the concept of plane waves, the mathematical description of diffraction and Gaussian optics, and adapting the concepts to the single photon level. The book explains the parallels between the paraxial propagation of light beams and the Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics, and delves into the description of paraxial optics by means of state vectors and operators. It also discusses classical optics and quantum entanglement. Part two focuses on the application of modal decomposition to the characterization of laser beams, and provides a characterization of time domain pulses. It discusses tools for the temporal characterization of laser beams, the generation of arbitrary laser beams with digital holograms, and the use of spatial light modulators to display reconfigurable digital holograms capable of modifying and shaping laser beams. It also covers various techniques and the control of the polarization properties of light. Part three defines the most commonly generated shaped light, flat-top beams, outlining their propagation rules as well as the means to create them in the laboratory. It also highlights Helmholtz-Gauss beams, vector beams, and low coherence laser beams. The text presents the concepts of coherence theory and applies this to the propagation of low coherence optical fields. It also considers the recent developments in orbital angular momentum carrying fields, touches on basics properties, definitions and applications, and brings together the classical and quantum concepts of spatial modes of light.

Although scarcely 20 years have passed since the creation of the first laser, laser engineering has enjoyed a variety of applications in science and in practice. Among these applications, a special pI ace is held by those related to the propagation of laser radiation in the atmosphere. Some, such as laser communication and information-transmission systems, locating and teleme tering systems, and mapping and navigation systems, require access to quantitative data on the effects of the atmosphere on the parameters of the laser beam serving as the carrier of useful information, since the efficacy of any such system depends significantly on the influence of the atmosphere. Another set of laser applications associated with the propagation of coherent radiation in the atmosphere requires the solution of both direct and inverse problems related to this complex subject. The kind of applica tion in question is the use of lasers for long-range monitoring of various physical parameters of the atmosphere-a new and highly promising direc tion in science and engineering.