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Optical instruments and techniques
second chapter is on quantum theory and its inclusion is in line with books recently written on optics. Chapter 3 on polarization lacks interest - it is old fashioned. The reader may think that Nicol prisms such as described are often used but in fact the square-ended or Glan-Thompson versions find almost universal favour. Senarment compensates have replaced Babinet and Soleil compensates but no mention of the former is made. Multiple beam interferometry and spectroscopy are adequately covered but little reference is given to infra-red detectors. Diffraction and interference are included but add nothing to treatments in other texts. Coherence, optical masses and holography should indeed find a place in a modern optics textbook and the material presented is suitable for students at this level. It is this chapter which gives the book a veneer of being up-to-date. There is, as in Volume 1, unevenness to presentation; material which one might expect to find in Volume 1 is included and this with cross-reference to the volumes makes the acquisition of both volumes necessary for completeness. The diagrams are clear and sufficient. In conclusion the book presents material necessary to a student studying optics but to the writer the subject is not presented with enthusiasm and in a way calculated to excite the reader. H.G. Jerrard
there is a lot of interesting material presented by Goodman and by Yamamoto. In this case, however, the overlap is minimal and one article tends to complement the other. A lot of theoretical data on the performance of antireflection coatings are given by Musset and Thelen, while in comparison experimental curves are a little neglected. It is surprising that no data whatsoever are presented for oblique incidence angles. Consideration is given not only to the characteristics of a given coating on its own, but also to its performance in relation to the spectral distribution of the associated light source. The effect of anti-reflected glass air interfaces is also discussed and anyone who doubts the usefulness of these coatings should consult the photographs shown in Figs. 28,30,3 1,32 and 33. The review is a little spoiled by some lack of attention to detail. For example, it is hardly good policy to quote refractive indices as 1.38, 2.2,2.435, 1.837 (see Fig. 16). The number of significant figures should surely be standardized. Also a reference which is given as ‘to be published in 1970’ actually appeared early in 1969, and some of the data which are supposed to be in this reference are not to be found there. The entire ‘Progress in Optics’ series has, so far, demonstrated what an extremely wide field is implied by the word ‘optics’. One wonders how many people, having looked at any one volume in the series, wish that they had the time to make a detailed study of those aspects with which they are not very familiar. A. Thetford
Progressin Optics - Volume 8 edited by E. Wolf North Holland Publishing
Co. 1970. 400 pp. &8.75
This book contains eight review articles on a wide range of topics. The contents are as follows: Synthetic-aperture optics - J.W. Goodman, Optical performance of the human eye - G.A. Fry, Light beating spectroscopy - H.Z. Cummings and H.L. Swinney, Multilayer antireflection coatings - A. Musset and A. Thelen, Statistical properties of laser light - H. Risken, Coherence theory of source-size compensation in interference microscopy - T. Yamamoto, Vision in communication - L. Levi, Theory of photoelectron counting - C.L. Menta. The general standard of these articles is similar to those which have appeared in previous volumes of the ‘Progress in Optics’ series. The contributors are well known in their respective fields and each aiticle is supplemented by a comprehensive list of references. Probably there are relatively few readers who will wish to make a detailed study of every subject presented and, for this reason, the book is one which is more likely to be found in a library (alongside the preceding volumes) than on a private book shelf. It is appropriate to make one or two detailed comments which necessarily cannot hope to cover every contribution. One of the more unfortunate aspects of Volume 8 is the partial overlap of subject matter in Fry’s and Levi’s contributions. There is no doubt that it is interesting to compare the approach of different authors to similar subjects, but so much scientific material is published these days that one feels in general there is not the time for such a comparison. It is understandable if two article’s of a similar nature appear in different publications. In the present case it would appear that the overlap could have been avoided by more careful editing. The contributors are hardly to blame since each was probably unaware of the contents of the other’s article. For anyone interested in interferometry
180
Optics and Laser Technology
August 1971
Other new optics books In addition to the books reviewed above we have also received copies of the following: Optical Instruments and Techniques edited by J. Home
Dic/cson.Oriel Press . 1970. X7.00. This is the proceedings of the conference of the same title held at the University of Reading in July 1969 under the auspices of the International Commission for Optics and arranged by the Optical sub-committee of the British National Committee for Physics. It is divided into six parts - 1. New techniques and instruments for spectroscopy, 2. Recent developments in optical production techniques, 3. Optical metrology and the optical processing of data, 4. Advances in assessment and specification of the performance of optical instruments, 5. Image-forming systems of novel design, and 6. Systems design of astronomical instruments. Quantum Optics edited by R. J. Glauber
Academic Press. 1970. 759. $31 .OO This is course 42 the proceedings of the International School of Physics of ‘Enrico Fermi’ organized by the Italian Physical Society in the summer of 1967. This course lasted 3 weeks and was attended by over a 100 students and speakers. The lectures reproduced in this book are all by eminent scientists working in this field and collectively they present a comprehensive and detailed investigation into the fundamental physics underlying optics.
there is a lot of interesting material presented by Goodman and by Yamamoto. In this case, however, the overlap is minimal and one article tends to complement the other. A lot of theoretical data on the performance of antireflection coatings are given by Musset and Thelen, while in comparison experimental curves are a little neglected. It is surprising that no data whatsoever are presented for oblique incidence angles. Consideration is given not only to the characteristics of a given coating on its own, but also to its performance in relation to the spectral distribution of the associated light source. The effect of anti-reflected glass air interfaces is also discussed and anyone who doubts the usefulness of these coatings should consult the photographs shown in Figs. 28,30,3 1,32 and 33. The review is a little spoiled by some lack of attention to detail. For example, it is hardly good policy to quote refractive indices as 1.38, 2.2,2.435, 1.837 (see Fig. 16). The number of significant figures should surely be standardized. Also a reference which is given as ‘to be published in 1970’ actually appeared early in 1969, and some of the data which are supposed to be in this reference are not to be found there. The entire ‘Progress in Optics’ series has, so far, demonstrated what an extremely wide field is implied by the word ‘optics’. One wonders how many people, having looked at any one volume in the series, wish that they had the time to make a detailed study of those aspects with which they are not very familiar. A. Thetford
Progressin Optics - Volume 8 edited by E. Wolf North Holland Publishing
Co. 1970. 400 pp. &8.75
This book contains eight review articles on a wide range of topics. The contents are as follows: Synthetic-aperture optics - J.W. Goodman, Optical performance of the human eye - G.A. Fry, Light beating spectroscopy - H.Z. Cummings and H.L. Swinney, Multilayer antireflection coatings - A. Musset and A. Thelen, Statistical properties of laser light - H. Risken, Coherence theory of source-size compensation in interference microscopy - T. Yamamoto, Vision in communication - L. Levi, Theory of photoelectron counting - C.L. Menta. The general standard of these articles is similar to those which have appeared in previous volumes of the ‘Progress in Optics’ series. The contributors are well known in their respective fields and each aiticle is supplemented by a comprehensive list of references. Probably there are relatively few readers who will wish to make a detailed study of every subject presented and, for this reason, the book is one which is more likely to be found in a library (alongside the preceding volumes) than on a private book shelf. It is appropriate to make one or two detailed comments which necessarily cannot hope to cover every contribution. One of the more unfortunate aspects of Volume 8 is the partial overlap of subject matter in Fry’s and Levi’s contributions. There is no doubt that it is interesting to compare the approach of different authors to similar subjects, but so much scientific material is published these days that one feels in general there is not the time for such a comparison. It is understandable if two article’s of a similar nature appear in different publications. In the present case it would appear that the overlap could have been avoided by more careful editing. The contributors are hardly to blame since each was probably unaware of the contents of the other’s article. For anyone interested in interferometry
180
Optics and Laser Technology
August 1971
Other new optics books In addition to the books reviewed above we have also received copies of the following: Optical Instruments and Techniques edited by J. Home
Dic/cson.Oriel Press . 1970. X7.00. This is the proceedings of the conference of the same title held at the University of Reading in July 1969 under the auspices of the International Commission for Optics and arranged by the Optical sub-committee of the British National Committee for Physics. It is divided into six parts - 1. New techniques and instruments for spectroscopy, 2. Recent developments in optical production techniques, 3. Optical metrology and the optical processing of data, 4. Advances in assessment and specification of the performance of optical instruments, 5. Image-forming systems of novel design, and 6. Systems design of astronomical instruments. Quantum Optics edited by R. J. Glauber
Academic Press. 1970. 759. $31 .OO This is course 42 the proceedings of the International School of Physics of ‘Enrico Fermi’ organized by the Italian Physical Society in the summer of 1967. This course lasted 3 weeks and was attended by over a 100 students and speakers. The lectures reproduced in this book are all by eminent scientists working in this field and collectively they present a comprehensive and detailed investigation into the fundamental physics underlying optics.