This award-winning book has been translated from the original French by the author and thoroughly updated. It gives an introduction to modern optics at an advanced level, taking a unique approach inspired by Richard Feynman.

Since the discovery of the laser in 1960 and optical fibers in 1970, optics has undergone dramatic changes that accentuate its multi-disciplinary character. This text covers essential concepts and reports the key developments and progress in current knowledge in the field. Inspired by the style of Richard Feynman, the method of presentation emphasizes "telling" optics, rather than deducing it from fundamental laws, as well as tactfully using mathematical tools so as not to obscure the physical phenomena of interest. For its excellent teaching approach, the book received the Arnulf-Francon Award of the French Optical Society. The concepts are formulated in a way such that the necessary mathematical tools do not hinder comprehension of the phenomena. Global in vision, the book can also be used as a reference. In addition to the traditional aspects of optics, it includes the tools and methods currently used by researchers and engineers, as well as explanation and implications of the most recent developments.

Table of Contents

1 Orders of Magnitude in Optics

2 Electromagnetic Waves

3 Geometrical Optics

4 Polarized Light-Laws of Re.ection

5 Birefringence

6 Interference

7 Diffraction

8 Index of Refraction

9 Lasers

10 Nonlinear Optics

11 Raman-Brillouin-Rayleigh Diffusion

12 Guided Optics

13 Fourier Analysis and Fourier Transform