Harnessing Light


Book Description

Optical science and engineering affect almost every aspect of our lives. Millions of miles of optical fiber carry voice and data signals around the world. Lasers are used in surgery of the retina, kidneys, and heart. New high-efficiency light sources promise dramatic reductions in electricity consumption. Night-vision equipment and satellite surveillance are changing how wars are fought. Industry uses optical methods in everything from the production of computer chips to the construction of tunnels. Harnessing Light surveys this multitude of applications, as well as the status of the optics industry and of research and education in optics, and identifies actions that could enhance the field's contributions to society and facilitate its continued technical development.




Advanced Devices and Materials for Laser Remote Sensing:


Book Description

Laser remote sensing is a powerful technique with a wide range of applications in fields as diverse as atmospheric studies, marine ecology, space exploration, air travel safety and military target identification, thus addressing societal needs. Many LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) instruments have been developed, from ground-based, airborne and space-based platforms. However, significant improvements (more durable, lightweight, economical) are required in materials used for the LIDAR instrumentation system. This book, first published in 2005, reviews and outlines trends and challenges in this important field. Contributions from key research institutions show that advanced devices developed by the telecommunication industry can play an important role in addressing the increasing demand for more efficient and compact LIDAR systems. Fiber optics lasers and MEMS-based semiconductor lasers are examples of such devices. Reliability of LIDAR instruments is also addressed. Indeed, for LIDAR instruments operating in space, the reliability and lifetime of laser diodes are particularly critical.




Optical and Laser Remote Sensing


Book Description

The field of optical and laser remote sensing has grown rapidly in recent years. This dynamic growth has been stimulated not only by technological advances in lasers, detectors, and optical system design, but also by the potential application of remote sensing systems to a wide variety of atmo spheric measurements. Optical and laser remote sensing can allow single ended measurement capability not offered by conventional point-detection techniques. While many past measurements have been associated with labo ratory research. practical systems have recently been developed which are capable of remotely detecting. measuring. and tracking a wide range of molecular and atomic species in the atmosphere with concentrations of parts per billion and at ranges over 100 km. This book is a compilation of papers which represent an overview of the present state of development of optical and laser remote sensing tech nology. The subjects covered include both passive and active remote sen sing techniques in the UV, visible, and IR spectral regions. related laser and detector technology, and atmospheric propagation and system analysis considerations. While the papers do not constitute an exhaustive treat ment of the excellent research being conducted in this field, they are representative of the wide diversity of present efforts. It is hoped that the reader will gain a general understanding of the current research in optical and laser remote sensing as well as an overview of current systems development.




Tunable Solid State Lasers for Remote Sensing


Book Description

The Workshop on Tunable Solid State Lasers for Remote Sensing was held at Stanford University in October 1984 to assess the state of the art in tunable solid state lasers for remote sensing from satellite platforms. The value of conducting global remote sensing measurements of atmospheric chemistry, climate, and weather in the 1990s is now established. What is not yet defined, however, is the status of the developing tunable laser technology that must meet both the scientific requirements and the space platform constraints. This workshop was convened by the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assess the status and progress in tunable solid state laser sources for remote sensing. The workshop was organized to facilitate information exchange across a number of technologies from remote sensing requirements to crystal growth of the materials important for the development of the tunable laser sources. The emphasis was on the recent developments in tunable solid state laser sources necessary to meet the future transmitter requirements for global remote sensing. A goal of the workshop was to form recommendations to NASA on the current and future prospects for solid state laser technology that will allow remote sensing measurements from air, shuttle, and free-flying satellite platforms. The emphasis was on solid state laser sources because they offer the best potential for meeting the demanding requirements of compact size, good efficiency, and long operational lifetimes required for future space station and free-flying platform operation.







Fiber Optics and Optoelectronic Devices


Book Description

Fiber optics or optical fibers are long, thin strands of very pure glass about the diameter of a human hair. They are very popular for many applications due to their special features such as unlimited bandwidth to transmit information, low loss, immunity to interferences and galvanic isolation. Optical communication is the current era in which optical fibers play an important role. Fiber optic cables find many uses in a wide variety of industries and applications. Fiber is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes in telecommunications. They are used for data transmission, in data storage, and to connect users and servers in a variety of network. They help to increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission. Broadcast/cable companies are using fiber optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, video on-demand and other applications. Fiber optic cables are used for lighting and imaging and as sensors to measure and monitor a vast array of parameters. Fiber optic cables are also used in research and development and testing across the industries and research laboratories. The field of optical fiber sensors has advanced substantially in the last decade. A fiber-optic sensor system consists of a fiber-optic cable connected to a remote sensor or amplifier. The sensor emits, receives, and converts the light energy into an electrical signal. Fiber optic sensors are widely used in industry and in medical applications. They are used as light guides and imaging tools in medical field. This book deals with the fundamentals of light, fibers and fiber optics along with various types of fibers, lasers including the recent advances in lasers. Since optical communications is the current interest of this century, optical sources, detectors, optoelectronic modulators, optical amplifiers, fiber optic network components and optoelectronic integrated circuits are discussed extensively in this book. Further, a chapter is fully devoted in this book on applications of optical fibers which include many fiber optic sensors, and new fibers in medical field. The book will be useful to university and college students, teachers, engineers, doctors and common man as the fiber optic applications are expanding very rapidly due to several multibenefits.




Metal Oxide-Carbon Hybrid Materials


Book Description

Metal Oxide–Carbon Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications reviews the advances in the fabrication and application of metal oxide–carbon-based nanocomposite materials. Their unique properties make them ideal materials for gas-sensing, photonics, catalysis, opto-electronic, and energy-storage applications. In the first section, the historical background to the hybrid materials based on metal oxide–carbon and the hybridized metal oxide composites is provided. It also highlights several popular methods for the preparation of metal oxide–carbon composites through solid-state or solution-phase reactions, and extensively discusses the materials' properties. Fossil fuels and renewable energy sources cannot meet the ever-increasing energy demands of an industrialized and technology-driven global society. Therefore, the role of metal oxide–carbon composites in energy generation, hydrogen production, and storage devices, such as rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors, is of extreme importance. These problems are discussed in in the second section of the book. Rapid industrialization has resulted in serious environmental issues which in turn have caused serious health problems that require the immediate attention of researchers. In the third section, the use of metal oxide–carbon composites in water purification, photodegradation of industrial contaminants, and biomedical applications that can help to clean the environment and provide better healthcare solutions is described. The final section is devoted to the consideration of problems associated with the development of sensors for various applications. Numerous studies performed in this area have shown that the use of composites can significantly improve the operating parameters of such devices. Metal Oxide–Carbon Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications presents a comprehensive review of the science related to metal oxide–carbon composites and how researchers are utilizing these materials to provide solutions to a large array of problems. - Reviews the fundamental properties and fabrication methods of metal-oxide–carbon composites - Discusses applications in energy, including energy generation, hydrogen production and storage, rechargeable batteries, and supercapacitors - Includes current and emerging applications in environmental remediation and sensing




Industrial Applications of Laser Remote Sensing


Book Description

This e-book is an essential review of land-based laser sensing methods, such as differential absorption, Raman scattering, laser-induced fluorescence, Doppler effect methods, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and laser ultrasonics, and their respective application to specific industrial needs, such as natural gas leak detection, hydrogen gas leak detection, pollutant detection, wind profiling for windmill sites, minor constituent monitoring and concrete structure health monitoring. Readers will gain an updated overview of laser remote sensing techniques and their applications to the industrial environment.