The investigation on novel optical materials with unprecedented optical properties is of paramount importance for the development of advanced applications in many fields having a strong impact on our everyday lives such as biomedicine, food and agriculture security, optical communication and information technology, etc. Moreover, the interaction of light with matter in the past decades has allowed the quick growth of new disciplines such as biophotonics, covering all aspects of this intera...

This book aims to introduce the reader to basic concepts concerning matter physics, describing how fundamental properties of atoms, molecules and condensed matter are affected by properties of electrons and by their interaction with electromagnetic waves.As an introductory text on basic properties of matter, the contents are designed for undergraduate students in electrical engineering. It is based on the lectures given by the author for over a decade on Matter Physics and Solid State Phys...