Nicolaas Bloembergen, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1981), wrote Nonlinear Optics in 1964, when the field of nonlinear optics was only three years old. The available literature has since grown by at least three orders of magnitude. The vitality of Nonlinear Optics is evident from the still-growing number of scientists and engineers engaged in the study of new nonlinear phenomena and in the development of new nonlinear devices in the field of opto-electronics. This monograph should be helpful in providing a historical introduction and a general background of basic ideas both for experts specializing in this discipline and for scientists and students who wish to become acquainted with it. This is the fourth reprint and includes new references to the recent literature.

This volume exposes the chemistry community to the critical role that chemistry can and must play in nonlinear optics research. In addition, it brings together those researchers who synthesize and characterize materials from a variety of systems, with those who build devices, giving chemists, physicists, and engineers a greater appreciation for the opportunities that lie ahead in understanding and developing nonlinear optical materials. The volume begins with a discussion of polarizability and hyperpolarizability from the view of a chemist. Tutorial chapters dealing with the fundamental structures and properties of second- and third-order nonlinear optical materials, measurement and characterization of these systems, theoretical considerations, application of these systems to devices, and overviews of the current state of affairs in both organic and inorganic nonlinear optical materials follow.

Optical methods for investigating semiconductors and the theoretical description of optical processes have always been an important part of semiconductor physics. Only the emphasis placed on different materials changes with time. Here, a large number of papers are devoted to quantum dots, presenting the theory, spectroscopic investigation and methods of producing such structures. Another major part of the book reflects the growing interest in diluted semiconductors and II-IV nanosystems in general. There are also discussions of the fascinating field of photonic crystals. `Classical' low dimensional systems, such as GsAs/GaAlAs quantum wells and heterostructures, still make up a significant part of the results presented, and they also serve as model systems for new phenomena. New materials are being sought, and new experimental techniques are coming on stream, in particular the combination of different spectroscopic modalities.