Principles of Optics (Hardcover)

Description
Principles of Optics is one of the classic science books of the twentieth century, and probably the most influential book in optics published in the past 40 years. The new edition is the first ever thoroughly revised and updated edition of this standard text. Among the new material is a section on the CAT scan (computed axial tomography), which has revolutionised medical diagnostics. The book also includes a new chapter on scattering from inhomogeneous media and presents an account of the principles of diffraction tomography to which Emil Wolf has made a basic contribution. Other new topics include interference with broad-band light, a section on the so-called Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction theory and several new appendices. The new edition of this standard reference will continue to be invaluable to advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers working in most areas of optics.

Chapter Contents
Historical introduction; 1. Basic properties of the electromagnetic field; 2. Electromagnetic potentials and polarization; 3. Foundations of geometrical optics; 4. Geometrical theory of optical imaging; 5. Geometrical theory of aberrations; 6. Image-forming instruments; 7. Elements of the theory of interference and interferometers; 8. Elements of the theory of diffraction; 9. The diffraction theory of aberrations; 10. Interference and diffraction with partially coherent light; 11. Rigorous diffraction theory; 12. Diffraction of light by ultrasonic waves; 13. Scattering from inhomogeneous media; 14. Optics of metals; 15. Optics of crystals; Appendix 1. The calculus of variations; Appendix 2. Light optics, electron optics and wave mechanics; Appendix 3. Asymptotic approximation to integrals; Appendix 4. The Dirac delta function; Appendix 5. A mathematical lemma used in rigorous derivation of the Lorentz-Lorentz formula; Appendix 6. Propagation of discontinuities in an electromagnetic field; Appendix 7. The circle polynomials of Zernike; Appendix 8. Proof of an inequality for the spectral degree of coherence; Appendix 9. Proof of a reciprocity inequality; Appendix 10. Evaluation of two integrals; Appendix 11. Energy conservation in scalar wavefields; Appendix 12. Proof of Jones� lemma; Author index; Subject index.