Essentials of Nonlinear Optics
Ane/Athena Books Series

Current literature on Nonlinear Optics varies widely in terms of content, style, and coverage of specific topics, relative emphasis of areas and the depth of treatment. While most of these books are excellent resources for the researchers, there is a strong need for books appropriate for presenting the subject at the undergraduate or postgraduate levels in Universities. The need for such a book to serve as a textbook at the level of the bachelors and masters courses was felt by the authors while teaching courses on nonlinear optics to students of both science and engineering during the past two decades. This book has emerged from an attempt to address the requirement of presenting the subject at college level. A one-semester course covering the essentials can effectively be designed based on this.

1. From Optics to Photonics.

1.1 The Charm and Challenge of Photonics.

1.2 The Nature of Optical Nonlinearity.

1.3 Overcoming the Materials Bottleneck.

1.4 The Expanding Frontiers.

1.5 Explorations.

2. A Phenomenological View of Nonlinear Optics.

2.1 Optics in the Nonlinear World.

2.2 Time Domain Response.

2.3 Frequency Domain Response.

2.4 The nth order Polarization.

2.5 Monochromatic Waves.

2.6 Calculation of the Factor K.

2.7 Explorations.

3. Symmetry and Sysceptibility Tensors.

3.1 Introduction.

3.2 Crystal Symmetry and Susceptibility Tensors.

3.3 The Dielectric Permittivity Tensor.

3.4 The Refractive Index Ellipsoid.

3.5 Explorations.

4. Calculation of Non-linear Susceptibilities.

4.1 Introduction.

4.2 The Equation of Motion.

4.3 Ensembles of Particles.

4.5 Dipolar Interaction.

4.6 First Order Density Matrix.

4.7 Second Order Density Matrix.

4.8 Third Order Density Matrix.

4.9 Double Integrals in the Expressions for Density Matrix.

4.10 Second Harmonic Susceptibility.

4.11 Relaxation Effects.

4.12 Applications to Color Centers.

4.13 Explorations.

5. Nonlinear Wave Mixing Processess.

5.1 Introduction.

5.2 Elements of Electromagnetism.

5.3 Travelling Electromagnetic Waves in Free Space.

5.4 Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in Linear Materials.

5.5 Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in Nonlinear Materials.

5.6 Three Wave Mixing.

5.7 Second Harmonic Generation.

5.8 Explorations.

6. Optical Phase Conjugation and Bistability.

6.1 Optical Phase Conjugation.

6.2 Optical Bistability and Photonic Switching.

6.3 Explorations.

7. Self Focusing, Phase Modulation and Pulse Shaping.

7.1 Self Focusing of Light.

7.2 Self Phase Modulation (SPM).

7.3 Pulse Shaping and Optical Soliton Propagation.

7.4 Explorations.

8 Mechanisms and Materials.

8.1 Introduction.

8.2 Mechanisms of Nonlinearity.

8.3 A Perspective on Newer Materials and Processes.

8.4 Explorations.

Index.

Professor Y.V.G.S. Murti, IIT Madras, India
Y.V.G.S. Murti joined the premier institution of IIT Madras, where his teaching and research activities spanned over a few decades. Professor Murti's Condensed Matter research included experimental and theoretical investigations addressing problems on lattice defects and related transport and optical phenomena. Establishing a school of research on Photonics, he led work on experiments on Nonlinear Wave Mixing as well as on theoretical evaluation of Optical Nonlinearities of color centers.

Professor C. Vijayan, IIT Madras, India
C. Vijayan achieved his M.Sc. and PhD in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai. His early work includes Solid State Transport Phenomena, and Photonic Memories. Over the last two decades, he has been actively pursuing research on nonlinear optical properties of Novel Materials. A professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, he heads the Photonics laboratory directing work on Quantum Confined Materials and Nanophotonic Materials.