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Preface | |
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Introduction and Overview | |
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The Idea of the Laser | |
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What is a Laser? | |
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Laser Materials and Types | |
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Optical Properties of Laser Light | |
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How Lasers are Used | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Physical Basics | |
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Electromagnetic Waves and Photons | |
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Quantum and Classical Physics | |
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Interactions of Light and Matter | |
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Basic Optics and Simple Lenses | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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How Lasers Work | |
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Building a Laser | |
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Producing a Population Inversion | |
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Resonant Cavities | |
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Laser Beams and Resonance | |
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Wavelength Selection and Tuning | |
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Laser Excitation Techniques | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Laser Characteristics | |
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Coherence | |
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Laser Wavelengths | |
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Behavior of Laser Beams | |
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Laser Power | |
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Laser Efficiency | |
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Duration of Emission | |
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Polarization | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Optics and Laser Accessories | |
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Classical Optical Devices | |
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Transparent Optical Materials | |
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Optical Surfaces, Coatings and Filters | |
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Nonlinear Optics | |
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Beam Intensity and Pulse Control | |
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Beam Direction and Propagation | |
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Mounting and Positioning Equipment | |
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Optical Measurement | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Types of Lasers | |
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Laser Oscillators and Optical Amplifiers | |
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Laser Media | |
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The Importance of Gain | |
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Broadband and Wavelength-Tunable Lasers | |
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Laser-Like Light Sources | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Gas Lasers | |
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The Gas Laser Family | |
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Gas-Laser Basics | |
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Helium-Neon Lasers | |
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Argon- and Krypton-Ion Lasers | |
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Metal-Vapor Lasers | |
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Carbon Dioxide Laser | |
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Excimer Lasers | |
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Chemical Lasers | |
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Other Gas Lasers | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Solid-State and Fiber Lasers | |
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What is a Solid-State Laser? | |
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Solid-State Laser Materials | |
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Optical Pumping | |
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Ruby Lasers | |
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Neodymium Lasers | |
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Vibronic and Tunable Solid-State Lasers | |
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Erbium and Other Eye-Safe Lasers | |
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Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Lasers | |
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Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Amplifiers | |
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Raman Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Semiconductor Diode Lasers | |
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Basics of Semiconductor Diode Lasers | |
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Semiconductor Basics | |
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Light Emission at Junctions | |
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Layers and Confinement in Diode Lasers | |
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Confinement in the Junction Plane | |
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Edge-Emitting Diode Lasers | |
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Surface-Emitting Diode Lasers | |
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Quantum Wells and Dots | |
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Quantum Cascade Lasers | |
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Optical Properties of Diode Lasers | |
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Diode Laser Materials and Wavelengths | |
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Silicon Lasers | |
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Packaging and Specialization of Diode Lasers | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Other Lasers and Related Sources | |
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Tunable Dye Lasers | |
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Extreme-Ultraviolet Sources | |
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Free-Electron Lasers | |
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Silicon Lasers | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Low-Power Laser Applications | |
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Advantages of Laser Light | |
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Reading with Lasers | |
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Optical Disks and Data Storage | |
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Laser Printing and Marking | |
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Fiber-Optic Communications | |
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Laser Measurement | |
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Laser Pointers, Art, and Entertainment | |
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Low-Power Defense Applications | |
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Sensing and Spectroscopy | |
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Holography | |
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Other Low-Power Applications | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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High-Power Laser Applications | |
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High- Versus Low-Power Laser Applications | |
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Attractions of High-Power Lasers | |
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Materials Working | |
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Electronics Manufacturing | |
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Three-Dimensional Modeling | |
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Laser Medical Treatment | |
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Photochemistry and Isotope Separation | |
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Laser-Driven Nuclear Fusion | |
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High-Energy Laser Weapons | |
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Futuristic High-Power Laser Ideas | |
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What Have We Learned? | |
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Lasers In Research | |
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Lasers Open New Opportunities | |
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Laser Spectroscopy | |
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Manipulating Tiny Objects | |
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Atom Lasers and Bose-Einstein Condensates | |
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Slow Light | |
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Nanoscale Lasers | |
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Petawatt Lasers | |
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Attosecond Pulses | |
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Laser Acceleration | |
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Other Emerging Research | |
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What We Have Learned | |
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Answers to Quiz Questions | |
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Laser Safety | |
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Handy Numbers and Formulas | |
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Resources and Suggested Readings | |
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Glossary | |
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Index | |