Principles of Laser Spectroscopy and Quantum Optics - by Paul R Berman & Vladimir S Malinovsky (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Principles of Laser Spectroscopy and Quantum Optics is an essential textbook for graduate students studying the interaction of optical fields with atoms. It also serves as an ideal reference text for researchers working in the fields of laser spectroscopy and quantum optics.

The book provides a rigorous introduction to the prototypical problems of radiation fields interacting with two- and three-level atomic systems. It examines the interaction of radiation with both atomic vapors and condensed matter systems, the density matrix and the Bloch vector, and applications involving linear absorption and saturation spectroscopy. Other topics include hole burning, dark states, slow light, and coherent transient spectroscopy, as well as atom optics and atom interferometry. In the second half of the text, the authors consider applications in which the radiation field is quantized. Topics include spontaneous decay, optical pumping, sub-Doppler laser cooling, the Heisenberg equations of motion for atomic and field operators, and light scattering by atoms in both weak and strong external fields. The concluding chapter offers methods for creating entangled and spin-squeezed states of matter.

Instructors can create a one-semester course based on this book by combining the introductory chapters with a selection of the more advanced material. A solutions manual is available to teachers.

• Rigorous introduction to the interaction of optical fields with atoms


• Applications include linear and nonlinear spectroscopy, dark states, and slow light


• Extensive chapter on atom optics and atom interferometry


• Conclusion explores entangled and spin-squeezed states of matter


• Solutions manual (available only to teachers)

From the Back Cover

"This book is special in that it covers certain topics from several viewpoints. Many are presented, compared, discussed, and described in terms of their similarities and differences. I think this is beautifully done! The writing is clear, precise, and concise, and the well-done citations to other parts of the text lead the reader along logical paths to a significant conclusion."--Harold Metcalf, State University of New York, Stony Brook

"This book gives a very detailed and comprehensive treatment of theoretical quantum optics. It provides a consistent and thorough look at the whole field and will be a valuable reference."--Richard Thompson, Imperial College, London

Review Quotes

"Berman and Malinovsky's book can be recommended to graduate students and workers transferring from other areas."---D.G.C. Jones, Contemporary Physics

"This high-quality, well-written book is a fine addition to the literature of modern optics. . . . The general style is lucid and entirely fitting for a textbook. . . . In all, this is a splendid book and I am confident that it will be widely received with considerable enthusiasm."---David L. Andrews, Optics & Photonics News

About the Author

Paul R. Berman is professor of physics at the University of Michigan. Vladimir S. Malinovsky is a visiting professor in the Physics Department at Stevens Institute of Technology.