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Nonlinear optical parametric processes in liquids and gases
Sprcfrochimic~km, Vol. 4lA. No. 12, p. 1493, 1985. Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain.
BOOK REVIEW
NONLINEAR OPTICAL PARAMETRIC PROCESSES IN LIQUIDS AND GASES. by JOHN F. REINTJES, Academic Press ( 1984). This reference book is an excellent source of material for the beginning student of nonlinear optics of high order processes. Because the text is limited to gases and liquids, second order effects, which have important symmetry requirements, are not discussed. Therefore, this is not reference material for those interested in second-harmonic generation or certain threewave parametric processes. In the Introduction the author leads the reader (who is assumed to have a basic background in electricity and magnetism) through many of the elementary relationships associated with the interaction of high electric fields and matter. In the second chapter he specilically addresses thirdharmonic generation and other four-wave mixing processes. In very lucid form the effects of focused beams, coherence length, phase matching, resonance effects, conversion efficiencies, etc. are described with many experimental examples. In the next chapter the author treats nonlinear processes beyond third order. Again, because of symmetry considerations, only odd numbered processes are considered in isotropic media. In this subject area the author has been a very
s* (A) 41/12- I
important contributor, having attained the shortest coherent wavelengths attainable by such means. The next two chapters are concerned with a number of competing parasitic processes which effect conversion efficiency or other generated output properties. The effects considered are such phenomena as dielectric breakdown, starkshift, pump depletion, phase mismatch, multiphoton processes, saturation, absorption, etc. Chapter five deals with degenerate four-wave mixing, a phenomenon involving backward wave generation, amplification and so forth. The final chapter treats applications. As a spectroscopist, the reviewer finds this chapter somewhat disappointing. The discussion is very brief and lacks real applications of interest to chemists or engineers, etc. Much of the information is not recent and is slanted toward physics. In summary, the book gives a good description of certain (third-, fifth-, etc. order) nonlinear optical phenomena. The applications to chemistry, engineering, biology, etc. are unfortunately lacking. Chemistry Division, National Science Foundation, Washington, D. C. 20550, U.S.A.
1493
ALBERT
B. HARVEY
BOOK REVIEW
NONLINEAR OPTICAL PARAMETRIC PROCESSES IN LIQUIDS AND GASES. by JOHN F. REINTJES, Academic Press ( 1984). This reference book is an excellent source of material for the beginning student of nonlinear optics of high order processes. Because the text is limited to gases and liquids, second order effects, which have important symmetry requirements, are not discussed. Therefore, this is not reference material for those interested in second-harmonic generation or certain threewave parametric processes. In the Introduction the author leads the reader (who is assumed to have a basic background in electricity and magnetism) through many of the elementary relationships associated with the interaction of high electric fields and matter. In the second chapter he specilically addresses thirdharmonic generation and other four-wave mixing processes. In very lucid form the effects of focused beams, coherence length, phase matching, resonance effects, conversion efficiencies, etc. are described with many experimental examples. In the next chapter the author treats nonlinear processes beyond third order. Again, because of symmetry considerations, only odd numbered processes are considered in isotropic media. In this subject area the author has been a very
s* (A) 41/12- I
important contributor, having attained the shortest coherent wavelengths attainable by such means. The next two chapters are concerned with a number of competing parasitic processes which effect conversion efficiency or other generated output properties. The effects considered are such phenomena as dielectric breakdown, starkshift, pump depletion, phase mismatch, multiphoton processes, saturation, absorption, etc. Chapter five deals with degenerate four-wave mixing, a phenomenon involving backward wave generation, amplification and so forth. The final chapter treats applications. As a spectroscopist, the reviewer finds this chapter somewhat disappointing. The discussion is very brief and lacks real applications of interest to chemists or engineers, etc. Much of the information is not recent and is slanted toward physics. In summary, the book gives a good description of certain (third-, fifth-, etc. order) nonlinear optical phenomena. The applications to chemistry, engineering, biology, etc. are unfortunately lacking. Chemistry Division, National Science Foundation, Washington, D. C. 20550, U.S.A.
1493
ALBERT
B. HARVEY