Self-focusing has been an area of active scientific investigation for nearly 50 years. This book presents a comprehensive treatment of this topic and reviews both theoretical and experimental investigations of self-focusing. This book should be of interest to scientists and engineers working with lasers and their applications. From a practical point of view, self-focusing effects impose a limit on the power that can be transmitted through a material medium. Self-focusing also can reduce the threshold for the occurrence of other nonlinear optical processes. Self-focusing often leads to damage in optical materials and is a limiting factor in the design of high-power laser systems. But it can be harnessed for the design of useful devices such as optical power limiters and switches. At a formal level, the equations for self-focusing are equivalent to those describing Bose-Einstein condensates and certain aspects of plasma physics and hydrodynamics. There is thus a unifying theme between nonlinear optics and these other disciplines. One of the goals of this book is to connect the extensive early literature on self-focusing, filament-ation, self-trapping, and collapse with more recent studies aimed at issues such as self-focusing of fs pulses, white light generation, and the generation of filaments in air with lengths of more than 10 km. It also describes some modern advances in self-focusing theory including the influence of beam nonparaxiality on self-focusing collapse. This book consists of 24 chapters. Among them are three reprinted key landmark articles published earlier. It also contains the first publication of the 1964 paper that describes the first laboratory observation of self-focusing phenomena with photographic evidence.

Advances in Quantum Electronics, Volume 3 covers articles on the theoretical and experimental work undertaken in the field of optical pumping and on gaseous ion lasers. The book presents an overview of the optical-pumping field and a review of the use and properties of the density matrix as applied to the statistical behavior of assemblages of atoms or ions. The text discusses the application of the density matrix approach to the theory of optical-pumping r.f. spectroscopy and spin-exchange optical pumping. Optical-pumping experiments are also considered. The book further provides a comprehensive survey of all the important aspects of laser action in gaseous ions, dealing in particular with the spectroscopy of the ion lasers the important and interesting physical processes which occur in them, their properties, technology and applications. People engaged in theoretical and experimental studies in the field of quantum electronics and physicists will find the book invaluable.

Quantum Electronics

Quantum mechanics, the subfield of physics that describes the behavior of very small (quantum) particles, provides the basis for a new paradigm of computing. First proposed in the 1980s as a way to improve computational modeling of quantum systems, the field of quantum computing has recently garnered significant attention due to progress in building small-scale devices. However, significant technical advances will be required before a large-scale, practical quantum computer can be achieved. Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects provides an introduction to the field, including the unique characteristics and constraints of the technology, and assesses the feasibility and implications of creating a functional quantum computer capable of addressing real-world problems. This report considers hardware and software requirements, quantum algorithms, drivers of advances in quantum computing and quantum devices, benchmarks associated with relevant use cases, the time and resources required, and how to assess the probability of success.

Optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published, forty years ago. At the time of inception of this series, the first lasers were only just becoming operational, holography was in its infancy, subjects such as fiber optics, integrated optics and optoelectronics did not exist and quantum optics was the domain of only a few physicists. The term photonics had not yet been coined. Today these fields are flourishing and have become areas of specialisation for many science and engineering students and numerous research workers and engineers throughout the world. Some of the advances in these fields have been recognized by awarding Nobel prizes to seven physicists in the last twenty years. The volumes in this series which have appeared up to now contain 240 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments. They have helped optical scientists and optical engineers to stay abreast of their fields. There is no sign that developments in optics are slowing down or becoming less interesting. We confidently expect that, just like their predecessors, future volumes of Progress in Optics will faithfully record the most important advances that are being made in optics and related fields.

Quantum Electronics, Volume 2: Maser Amplifiers and Oscillators deals with the experimental and theoretical aspects of maser amplifiers and oscillators which are based on the principles of quantum electronics. It shows how the concepts and equations used in quantum electronics follow from the basic principles of theoretical physics. Comprised of three chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on the elements of the theory of quantum oscillators and amplifiers working in the microwave region, along with the practical achievements in this field. Attention is paid to two-level paramagnetic masers and the dependence of the form of the emitted signal on the different parameters. The maser oscillator operating with a beam of active molecules is described in the next chapter, which considers the three-level paramagnetic oscillator, the molecular beam oscillator, and the two-level solid-state quantum oscillator. The final chapter is devoted to lasers, including gas lasers and solid-state lasers. Methods of obtaining negative temperatures are described, together with the elements of laser theory and the kinetics of oscillation processes in solid-state lasers. This book is intended for university students with knowledge of theoretical physics, particularly quantum mechanics.

A textbook that introduces a graduate student to the various fields of physics related to the interaction between radiation and matter. It emphasizes analogies and relations between seemingly different phenomena and different fields of quantum electronics.