Laser Beam Propagation

This book provides a comprehensive account of laser beam propagation, reflecting the major impact of new characterization methods, computational approaches, and fabrication techniques. It highlights new discoveries on laser beams and their propagation properties, including orbital angular momentum of light, the non-diffracting nature of light, and light that propagates along curved paths and reconstructs after obstacles. Chapters by expert researchers demonstrate how laser beams propagate, explain the generation of custom laser beams with modern techniques, describe beam properties, and showcase their application across various disciplines.

SECTION I BACK TO BASICS. Optical Waves. From Classical to Quantum Optics. Time Domain Laser Beam Propagation. SECTION II GENERATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LASER BEAMS. Spatial Laser Beam Characterization. Characterization of Time Domain Pulses. Generation of Laser Beams by Digital Holograms. SECTION III NOVEL LASER BEAMS. Flat-Top Beams. Helmholtz-Gauss Beams. Vector Beams. Low-Coherence Laser Beams. The Orbital Angular Momentum of Light. Miles Padgett and Reuben Aspden. Index.