5 comments about Nonlinear Optics, Third Edition.

1. It is a very good book:
   1. clear definition
   2. systematic
   3. as good Jackson's EM



2. it is surprising to find that textbook like this did a remarkable good job in exploiting the density matrix formalism and also the related theoretical techniques in quantum dissipative systems. If you are interested in the quantum treatment, Chapter 3 and 6 are great!



3. Wonderful book. Easy to understand and very useful for every student, who needs a good background in the field of nonlinear optics



4. If you are working in NLO, you simply have to have this book on your book-shelf. There's nothing to compare with it for the fundamentals, to gain a clear understanding of many different NLO processes.



5. This book is a comprehensive work including all the regular nonlinear phenomena like SHG, SFG, DFG, FWM, Raman and Brillouin Scatterings, and so on. Quantum mechanical theory of nonlinear optical susceptibility is on chapter 3 whereas chapter 6 is about nonlinear optics in two-level approximations which contains sections on optical Bloch equations and Rabi oscillations.
   Finally chapter 13 is on ultrafast nonlinear optics. We have to say that Professor Boyd has done a wonderful job on this book, since anyone from senior research scientists to first year graduate students all can refer to it.This book reminds me of Jackson's book on E &M in the sense that although you might not get `it' at that exact moment you can always count on it to show the correct way to tackle. All in all, if you are looking for a book on nonlinear optics this is the one you should have.

5 comments about Introduction to Fourier Optics.

1. This is the best book on Fourier Optics that I'm aware of. There is sufficient detail that you can follow the math, but also has well written text explaining concepts. The problems are sometimes trivial and sometime challenging, but they are very much an integral part of the book and doing them is necessary to get a full understanding of the material. There is a 3rd edition of the book with an additonal chapter, which is available at a much lower price, but Amazon does not seem to be carrying it yet. Hopefully they will soon. (...)



2. For the last month, I have been using this book for self study to aid me in my work with lasers. Originally, I was working from the 1st edition (borrowed from a co-worker), but decided to buy my own copy. I wound up buying the 3rd edition, a significantly expanded version of the original.
   
   Goodman's writing style is conversational and his treatment of the subject is thorough. I appreciate his inclusion of enough optics/E&M background within the text that I am not constantly having to go to my bookshelf to consult other references. Note, the 3rd edition has several helpful appendices not found in the 1st edition.
   
   There are also many instructive problems given throughout the text to help students solidify their understanding of the material.
   
   This is an excellent book for self study, and would certainly make a fine text for a senior undergrad course on the subject. I recommend it highly.
   
   Charlie.



3. Overall I like the book for it is clear, the mathematics is lucid and has all the essentials in a comprehensive way. I have found it quite useful for research. In addition, for the most parts it is quite accurate.
   
   Some criticisms though:
   Contains everything from a more mathematical point of view. By that i mean, problems are usually not very physically motivated and some of the conclusions drawn are not very physical. that is you are given at the end of a discussion only an integral. It would have been nice if there were more discussions on the physics of Fourier Optics, for example pictures of actual experimental results or clear diagrams that show for example how does the diffraction pattern for a given input looks like. So getting an intuitive grasp of the subject at a pictorial level, where you can 'see' the results is a bit challenging to get out of this book. also very expensive.



4. Only the best will do - and this is it.
   
   Mandatory reading for anyone involved in optics. Goodman's books are treasure troves.



5. I took a class in Fourier Optics and found this text to be indispensable. It explains everything very clearly and concisely, which is a minor miracle for a text at this level. I didn't have any particular background in optics, and was able to pick this up and understand every word.
   
   I do agree with the earlier poster that more 'physical' or graphical representations of concepts would have been useful as I tend to be a visual learner.

2 comments about Dynamic Light Scattering: With Applications to Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.

1. Dynamic Light Scattering is a classic text, that presents a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the underlying physics and principles of DLS. The description is developed with the associated mathematics of fluctuations and time correlation functions, as well as various physical aspects of Brownian Motion. Examples drawn from physics, chemistry and biology are used to illustrate the usefullness of DLS in studying a diverse range of problems including cell motility, macromolecular dynamics, dynamics of anisotropics objects (rod-like particles, viruses), electrolytic solutions, etc. The book is ESSENTIAL for everyone with interest in 1) dynamics of complex fluids 2) Brownian Motion of particles and 3) Single Molecule Imaging!
   
   The text is a beautifully written treatise on various applications of DLS, with a very insightful commentary on how various dynamics is detected by light, how underlying structure and relaxations translate to observable, how observables can be deduced by mathematical principles based on statistical mechanics (including non-equilibrium thermodynamics). This is a fairly advanced text, so I would advise someone to get a soft introduction to his/her topic of choice (polymers, gels, rods, colloids, cells, polyelectrolytes, etc.) and basic statistical mechanics before picking this text. Being a Dover publication, the book is priced cheaper than it ought to be:), and hence must make its way to the shelf of people who have any lasting interest in DLS. The book by Wyn Brown is a useful supplementary text (and includes more modern references, but comes at a high price). This book is an exercise in the mathematics of correlation functions, and associated hydrodynamics equations, and definitely requires concerted effort to become beneficial to the reader.



2. I find that Dover's books are simply excellent and this text is no exception. The order of the material in the book is logical: starting with the basics of autocorrelation to how Maxwell's equations lead to intensity of scattered radiation. Then, that crucial leap from the theory of scattering to how radiation is measured by different detectors is made and what they lead to in terms of correlation functions. The book expands on the basics of ideal, non-interacting isotropic scatters to more complex situations. Many references are provided. Since DLS has applications in protein dynamics, I used this text as background.

3 comments about Last Minute Optics: A Concise Review of Optics, Refraction and Contact Lenses.

1. As a reference book, this little handbook falls short.

   As alearning tool it is also lacking, with little detail or helpfuldiagrams.

   However, as a study tool, this review should serve the student well if he/she had a real reference from which to learn. That is, in fact, what it markets itself to be -- a last minute study review -- so no false advertising here.

   Kirk Carver, Patient Advocate,...




2. Throw away the Academy of Ophthalmology's optics book. This concise text is all you need. If you read it carefully, do the problems and really learn what it teaches, you will score very well on the OKAPs and board exams.



3. it is not a standard text, not meant to be. but it is a very practical review with practical information and applications not found in many standard texts. the information is also pretty current and accurate, albeit paltry. definitely a good read the month before the exam, and the best review material for those finished with the exams. a nice fresh approach to a tedious task all in all. good one!

5 comments about Fundamentals of Photonics (Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics).

1. If you could only have one general photonics book - this is the one to have. It must have been a 'labor of love' to write - and it is truly outstanding in its comprehensiveness and clarity.
   
   I use it constantly - wouldn't be without it.



2. I found out about this book when I was looking for some materials on Photonics Switching and Computing. These topics and All-Optical Switches and Bistable Optical Switches, Optical Interconnections are covered in Chapter 21
   But Chapter 22 containing Fiber-Optic Communication is very brief and for more detail one needs to go look for Kaiser's book.
   All in all this book tries to encompass all the components in PHOTONICS and in doing so lacks the depth in some topics. But the good thing is that the references and journal publications are listed at the end of each chapter.



3. If you are in the field of optics or biomedical optics, there are three to four books which would be the most essential to own. The is one of them. This book is comprehensive, dealing with all the most critical areas in field, yet easy to read. It is either outstanding in understanding the most basic concepts, yet a phenomenal reference on the derivations of relationships whose origin is left to the imagination in most textbooks. This is a must buy.



4. The book arrived in great condition, but I bought it new. This is a great text for Senior students with an EE or Elctro-Optics background. It would also be a great text for first year Master's students. The book tries to do a bit of everything and is a great reference for anyone interested in optics to the professional optical/electrical engineer.



5. Beautifully written. Very clear.
   Second edition has gorgeous color illustrations.
   Extremely comprehensive and covers all important facets of photonics:
   lasers, nonlinear and classical optics, photons/atoms, electromagnetic theory, fiber optics, and tons more.
   But most importantly, it explains things in plain old English so you can understand the concepts, then walks you through the math.
   Typically considered an undergrad book but I think it has plenty of material suitable for grad level learning in this field and is better written than many grad-level books out there. If you want to learn about lasers, optics, fiber optics, etc. this is a good addition to the library.

5 comments about Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision, and Holography.

1. This is the best textbook I ever had, and I sold it for some ($$$) at the end of a semester to buy a bus ticket. Very mad; I miss the book, but it's so expensive. It's amazing the way the author incorporates all sorts of literary allusions in this physics book, such as offering an interesting hypothesis on the optical illusion of the egyptians getting swallowed by the red sea while chasing the jews. Every chapter, light becomes a metaphor for so many things, the way we see, the obstacles, etc.



2. Book arrived in great shape. Like new!!



3. Particularly for a budding Optometrist, this book allows the Optometrist to be acquainted with all the fine arts of optics and the like.



4. The book arrived quickly and in the condition that was specified. No issues, would use this seller again.



5. One of the best science textbooks I've ever read. Clearly written and interesting to read. Heavy on concepts, light on math. Diagrams are simple but effective. It's rare to see a physics book as approachable as this one. As an amateur photographer and research microscopist, I love this book. Some parts of the text are a bit outdated (remember it was published in 1986), but the vast majority is valuable information. This is a great tool for physics students and teachers.

5 comments about Beaches.

1. The is a stunning book. The photos come from diverse parts of the globe and diverse coastal landscapes. At first, I was skeptical of the small-ish size. But the photos are very high quality and beautiful to look at. Maybe someday I'll get around to looking at the text?

   Now and then, I pull the book off the shelf and flip through the photos -- an instant retreat to the shore. Great for anyone who loves the sea but can't be there very often.




2. I am a beach lover, and as the DVD producer / cameraman of the "Waves: Virtual Vacations" Series here on Amazon.com, this book has been an inspiration to me. The spectacular shots of beaches from around the world are truly extraordinary. Having shot myself hundreds of the best beaches from California, Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean both with stills and for the DVDs, I can easily say this book is top notch. I highly recommend it. It sits proudly on my desk. And for those who want to see and hear what some of these beaches really feel like, bring this book with you and check out our Waves DVDs here on Amazon.



3. This is a beautiful little book that would make a great addition to any ocean lover's collection.



4. I received this as a gift and could not wait to get a quiet moment to open this book and escape. I did like the beautiful photos, however found that the author had too many of the same area and could have done so much more. The last pages contained favorite beach areas but did not have any photos which I would of liked. Will go back to the book again someday but not what I was hoping for.



5. I love this book. I keep it out on my coffee table and look at it often. Excellent photographic quality.

5 comments about Principles of Optics: Electromagnetic Theory of Propagation, Interference and Diffraction of Light (7th Edition).

1. This book is a classic with all problems associated. Half of the reference quoted have been written before the WWII. Very useful if you like to quote original papers. This book cover most topics of the classical optics but hardy cover modern topics.

   However, it is hard to read and use a weird notation. Certainly not useful for rapid referencing. Like the bible, use it only when you have serious problem to deal with.




2. It is just a rare book on physical optics based on Maxwell equations. Rarely a book states the assumptions,the validity of the equations, the principles and how the equations arrived. Certainly, it is a great book for postgraduates and researchers in physical optics not so for undergraduate students who don't want to go through all the mathematics.



3. I read this book in the late sixties, when some of my fellow engineers built and tested an acoustic lens for a developmental company. Born & Wolf were well-acquainted with antenna aperture theory, and were among the first to write that the human eye could resolve 5X better than aperture theory would predict. This they credited to involuntary eye movements called flicks and saccades, which when combined with the brain's ability to do signal processing, was able to produce much better resolution than would have been predicted by the diameter of the retinal rods. In many ways the book gives testimony to God's wonderful gift of vision with color, depth, clarity, and order.



4. 
   Amazing book. It's the bible of geometric optics. Have everything you might need.
   
   Needs a little previous knowledge, but which book doesn't?



5. Yes - all classical (linear) optical concepts are in here, and yes, it's the 'bible', but it's very dated in its content, style and references, generally, and not very practical to use.
   
   I wish Hecht - or someone like him - would re-write this classic as a more advanced version of his book.

5 comments about Introduction to Modern Optics.

1. I bought this book while taking an optics course using Hecht's Optics 4th ed. I found Fowler's book to be fairly useful, especially since I got to see optics from two different perspectives. The one really good thing about this book is it's price, and makes it a good reference book. The downside is that since it's quite short, it doesn't cover everything, moves fairly fast, and has no examples. For the price I paid, however, I am quite satisfied.



2. Great book to revise theory on Dual nature of light. Its like a nice handbook on optics. A full blown version would be very even nicer, with a math section to remind 'old' engineering like myself.
   
   One word of caution, I think some graduate school background in Physics and Math is needed for engineers. I am an engineer (
   I have a Phd, therefore it was easy for to me follow as I was reading), so I look at things slightly differently than Physicists.



3. This book is a little gem - and it costs next to nothing.
   
   It's a beautifully concise and remarkably clear introduction to the main principles of modern optics - the ones that you are going to need over and over again as you continue into the subject.
   
   This book gives you a great overview and set of basic foundations for every-day modern optics. I return to it often for little insights and reminders, even after 37 years in the business.



4. If you're studying optics in a college class using Hecht's classic text, or if you are an engineer who needs an overview of the subject, this is a good practical and economical introduction to the subject. However, be aware that this book is short on two components - details of derivations of mathematical formulas and illustrations. That is not to say they do not exist, it is just to say that at several points during the book I could have been aided in my comprehension by either an illustration or derivation that simply wasn't there.
   
   There are end of chapter exercises included, and there are solutions to selected odd problems in the back of the book. However, there are no details as to how those solutions were arrived at. If you are an engineer, the only way to really be sure that you understand a subject is to solve problems. Thus I suggest Schaum's Outline of Optics by Hecht for that task. Often the solutions to problems in that outline are the mathematical details that are missing in this book!
   
   The table of contents are not included in the product description, so I add that here:
   Chapter 1 The Propagation of Light
   1.1 Elementary Optical Phenomena and the Nature of Light
   1.2 Electrical Consants and the Speed of Light
   1.3 Plane Harmonic Waves. Phase Velocity
   1.4 Alternative Ways of Representing Harmonic Waves
   1.5 Group Velocity
   1.6 The Doppler Effect
   Chapter 2 The Vectorial Nature of Light
   2.1 General Remarks
   2.2 Energy Flow. The Poynting Vector
   2.3 Linear Polarization
   2.4 Circular and Elliptic Polarization
   2.5 Matrix Representation of Polarization. The Jones Calculus
   2.6 Reflection and Refraction at a Plane Boundary
   2.7 Amplitudes of Reflected and Refracted Waves. Fresnel's Equations
   2.8 The Brewster Angle
   2.9 The Evanescent Wave in Total Reflection
   2.10 Phase Changes in Total Internal Reflection
   2.11 Reflection Matrix
   Chapter 3 Coherence and Interference
   3.1 The Principle of Linear Superposition
   3.2 Young's Experiment
   3.3 The Michelson Interferometer
   3.4 Theory of Partial Coherence. Visibility of Fringes
   3.5 Coherence Time and Coherence Length
   3.6 Spectral Resolution of a Finite Wave Train. Coherence and Line Width
   3.7 Spatial Coherence
   3.8 Intensity Interferometry
   3.9 Fourier Transform Spectroscopy
   Chapter 4 Multiple-Beam Interference
   4.1 Interference with Multiple Beams
   4.2 The Fabry-Perot Interferometer
   4.3 Resolution of Fabry-Perot Instruments
   4.4 Theory of Multilayer Films
   Chapter 5 Diffraction
   5.1 General Description of Diffraction
   5.2 Fundamental Theory
   5.3 Fraunhofer and Fresnel Diffraction
   5.4 Fraunhofer Diffraction Patterns
   5.5 Fresnel Diffraction Patterns
   5.6 Applications of the Fourier Transform to Diffraction
   5.7 Reconstruction of the Wave Front by Diffraction. Holography
   Chapter 6 Optics of Solids
   6.1 General Remarks
   6.2 Macroscopic Fields and Maxwell's Equations
   6.3 The General Wave Equation
   6.4 Propagation of Light in Isotropic Dielectrics. Dispersion
   6.5 Propagation of Light in Conducting Media
   6.6 Reflection and Refraction at the Boundary of an Absorbing Medium
   6.7 Propagation of Light in Crystals
   6.8 Double Refraction at a Boundary
   6.9 Optical Activity
   6.10 Faraday Rotation in Solids
   6.11 Other Magneto-optic and Electro-optic Effects
   6.12 Nonlinear Optics
   Chapter 7 Thermal Radiation and Light Quanta
   7.1 Thermal Radiation
   7.2 Kirchoff's Law. Blackbody Radiation
   7.3 Modes of Electromagnetic Radiation in a Cavity
   7.4 Classical Theory of Blackbody Radiation. The Rayleigh-Jeans Fo
   7.5 Quantization of Cavity Radiation
   7.6 Photon Statistics. Planck's Formula
   7.7 The Photoelectric Effect and the Detection of Individual Photons
   7.8 Momentum of a Photon. Light Pressure
   7.9 Angular Momentum of a Photon
   7.10 Wavelength of a Material Particle. de Broglie's Hypothesis
   7.11 Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
   Chapter 8 Optical Spectra
   8.1 General Remarks
   8.2 Elementary Theory of Atomic Spectra
   8.3 Quantum Mechanics
   8.4 The Schrödinger Equation
   8.5 Quantum Mechanics of the Hydrogen Atom
   8.6 Radiative Transitions and Selection Rules
   8.7 Fine Structure of Specturm Lines. Electron Spin
   8.8 Multiplicity in the Spectra of Many-Electron Atoms. Spectroscopic Notation
   8.9 Molecular Spectra
   8.10 Atomic-Energy Levels in Solids
   Chapter 9 Amplification of Light. Lasers
   9.1 Introduction
   9.2 Stimulated Emission and Thermal Radiation
   9.3 Amplification in a Medium
   9.4 Methods of Producing a Population Inversion
   9.5 Laser Oscillation
   9.6 Optical-Resonaor Theory
   9.7 Gas Lasers
   9.8 Optically Pumped Solid-State Lasers
   9.9 Dye Lasers
   9.10 Semiconductor Diode Lasers
   9.11 Q-Switching and Mode Locking
   9.12 The Ring Laser
   Chapter 10 Ray Optics
   10.1 Reflection and Refraction at a Spherical Surface
   10.2 Lenses
   10.3 Ray Equations
   10.4 Ray Matrices and Ray Vectors
   10.5 Periodic Lens Waveguides and Opical Resonators
   Appendix I Relativistic Optics
   1.1 The Michelson-Morley Experiment
   1.2 Einstein's Postulates of Special Relativity
   1.3 Relativistic Effects in Optics
   1.4 The Experiments of Sagnac and of Michelson and Gale to Detect Rotation
   References
   Answers to Selected Odd-Numbered Problems



5. This is an easy 5 star. For those who gave it less, please think again:
   1) Title says: introduction. So don't imagine it covers every equation there is. Get Wolf's book if you like equations that much.
   2) Short but concise on key subjects. To do that, you have to skip a lot of intro/background or equations, that's why there are references and citations (and better bricks/bug killers).
   3) This is an intro book but also serves well as a refresher. This is intermediate level to advanced level for non-physicists, as it assumes good understanding of calculus.
   
   To be fair, the book is not without flaws. One obvious is the name implied recent advances (although different people use modern optics differently), while the book was last revised in 1975. Nonetheless, the key component of modern optics are mostly there, unless you are into cutting edge advances. It might be more appropriate to name it as "intro to physical optics", then again the author added a section of ray optics at the end of the book...

5 comments about Optics (4th Edition).

1. This is a fairly good textbook trapped in an inexcusably bad layout. I've worked my way through about half the textbook now and there are several sections which contain lots of helpful figures. However, there seems to have been almost no effort made to put the text on the same or facing page along with the figures, so you spend a lot of your time on these sections reading a paragraph, jumping ahead to find the figure, going back to read the next paragraph, again jumping ahead for that figure, and so on. It's bad enough when the figures are sparse, but when they are as dense as they are in some sections and as critical as they are to understanding the material, it's hard to stomach. As a result, I find that this book wastes a lot of my time. This is in the Third Edition, so you could hope things have changed, but I wouldn't bet a hundred bones on it.
   
   Also, to reiterate what another reviewer said, there are subjects like Fourier Optics which are spread out throughout the book more than is necessary. This makes it a fairly poor reference, since you sometimes have to dig up separate chunks of material in a piecemeal fashion.
   
   Still, for the level of the book, I am struggling to find something better. Born and Wolf is pretty good, but it's more of a graduate level text. Judging by the quality of the material available, textbook authorship must be harder than it seems.



2. As an introductory book teaching classical (and some modern) optics, this wonderful book is difficult to beat.
   
   It prepares you remarkably well for any direction in optics you then want to set off in. The explanations are mostly crystal-clear, crafted with great care. Lots of words and diagrams, not too much math, but enough math to facilitate useful calculations.
   
   An excellent under-graduate text, to my mind, the best available today.



3. An outstandingly good quality book, both in content and in the book itself. Very satisfied.



4. Of all the textbooks i have ever used at university (and as a fourth year student there have been quite a lot) this is simply the worst by far. Unlike the other physics textbooks i have used which were good at clarifying material, i found myself more confused after reading this book. Material i understood perfectly well at the lecture become suddenly incomprehendable when reading this awful book. Avoid it.
   Having shelled out money at the beginning of the semester for this book, i ended up using other optics books from the library all semester. Do NOT buy this book.



5. I recommend this as the first optics book you ever read. Emphasis on conceptual understanding, carried by excellent and profuse illustrations and description, allow the reader a deeper understanding of what's going on; mathematical descriptions stay shallow.