The exploration of the subnuclear world is done through increasingly complex experiments covering a wide range of energy and performed in a large variety of environments ranging from particle accelerators, underground detectors to satellites and the space laboratory. The achievement of these research programs calls for novel techniques, new materials and instrumentation to be used in detectors, often of large scale. Therefore, fundamental physics is at the forefront of technological advanc...

The exploration of the subnuclear world is done through increasingly complex experiments covering a wide range of energy and performed in a large variety of environments ranging from particle accelerators, underground detectors to satellites and the space laboratory. Among recent advances one has to indicate, for instance, first results obtained from space and LHC experiments and progress done in preparation of the latter experiments upgrades, including plans for the LHC machine upgrade. T...

The field of astrometry, the precise measurement of the positions, distances and motions of astronomical objects, has been revolutionized in recent years. As we enter the high-precision era, it will play an increasingly important role in all areas of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. This edited text starts by looking at the opportunities and challenges facing astrometry in the twenty-first century, from space and ground. The new formalisms of relativity required to take advantage of ...

Optical coatings, including mirrors, anti-reflection coatings, beam splitters, and filters, are an integral part of most modern optical systems. Optical thin films and coatings provides an overview of thin film materials, the properties, design and manufacture of optical coatings and their use across a variety of application areas.Part one explores the design and manufacture of optical coatings. Part two highlights unconventional features of optical thin films including scattering properti...

This book presents the basics and applications of superconducting devices in quantum optics. Over the past decade, superconducting devices have risen to prominence in the arena of quantum optics and quantum information processing. Superconducting detectors provide unparalleled performance for the detection of infrared photons in quantum cryptography, enable fundamental advances in quantum optics, and provide a direct route to on-chip optical quantum information processing. Superconducting ...

The thermal processing of materials ranges from few fem to seconds by Swift Heavy Ion Implantation to about one second using advanced Rapid Thermal Annealing. This book offers after an historical excursus selected contributions on fundamental and applied aspects of thermal processing of classical elemental semiconductors and other advanced materials including nanostructures with novel optoelectronic, magnetic, and superconducting properties. Special emphasis is given on the diffusion and s...

Enormous leaps forward in the efficiency and the economy of solar cells are being made at a furious pace. New materials and manufacturing processes have opened up new realms of possibility for the application of solar cells. Crystalline silicon cells are increasingly making way for thin film cells, which are spawning experimentation with third-generation high-efficiency multijunction cells, carbon-nanotube based cells, UV light for voltage enhancement, and the use of the infrared spectrum ...

If you are a semiconductor engineer or a magnetics physicist developing magnetic memory, get the information you need with this, the first book on magnetic memory. From magnetics to the engineering design of memory, this practical book explains key magnetic properties and how they are related to memory performance, characterization methods of magnetic films, and tunneling magnetoresistance effect devices. It also covers memory cell options, array architecture, circuit models, and read-writ...

Metamaterials are artificially designed materials engineered to acquire their properties by their specific structure rather than their composition. They are considered a major scientific breakthrough and have attracted enormous attention over the past decade. The major challenge in obtaining an optical metamaterial active at visible frequencies is the fabrication of complex continuous metallic structures with nano metric features.This thesis presents the fabrication and characteriz...

The book reviews the most recent achievements in optical technologies for XUV and X-ray coherent sources. Particular attention is given to free-electron-laser facilities, but also to other sources available at present, such as synchrotrons, high-order laser harmonics and X-ray lasers. The optical technologies relevant to each type of source are discussed. In addition, the main technologies used for photon handling and conditioning, namely multilayer mirrors, adaptive optics, crystals and g...

This thesis provides unique information on the Kerr-lens mode-locking (KLM) technique applied to a thin-disk laser. It describes in detail cavity geometry, the qualitative approach to KLM, and self-starting behavior in the regime of both negative and positive dispersion. Comprehensive comparative analysis of KLM and semiconductor saturable absorber techniques is also carried out. Recent successful experiments on carrier-envelope phase stabilization, spectral broadening and compression of o...

This book will address the advances, applications, research results, and emerging areas of optics, photonics, computational approaches, nano-photonics, bio-photonics, with applications in information systems. The objectives are to bring together novel approaches, analysis, models, and technologies that enhance sensing, measurement, processing, interpretation, and visualization of information. The book will concentrate on new approaches to information systems, including integration of compu...