Library Catalog
On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries
Light by
Lightbegins at Stonehenge, where crowds cheer a solstice sunrise. After sampling myths explaining First Light, the story moves on to early philosophers' queries, then through the centuries, from Buddhist temples to Biblical scripture, when light was the soul of the divine. Battling darkness and despair, Gothic architects crafted radiant cathedrals while Dante dreamed a "heaven of pure light." Later, following Leonardo's advice, Renaissance artists learned to capture light on canvas. During the Scientific Revolution, Galileo gathered light in his telescope, Descartes measured the rainbow, and Newton used prisms to solidify the science of optics. But even after Newton, light was an enigma. Particle or wave? Did it flow through an invisible "ether"? Through the age of Edison and into the age of lasers,Lightreveals how light sparked new wonders--relativity, quantum electrodynamics, fiber optics, and more. Although lasers now perform everyday miracles, light retains its eternal allure. "For the rest of my life," Einstein said, "I will reflect on what light is."Light explores and celebrates such curiosity.
Call Number: QC355.3 .W378 2016
OER Resources
- Geometric Optics
from Boundless Physics - The Human Eyefrom Boundless Physics
Websites
- What Is Optical Physics?
from Corning
Online From CCBC Libraries
Charged Particle Optics Theory by
Charged Particle Optics Theory: An Introduction identifies the most important concepts of charged particle optics theory, and derives each mathematically from the first principles of physics. Assuming an advanced undergraduate-level understanding of calculus, this book follows a logical progression, with each concept building upon the preceding one. Beginning with a non-mathematical survey of the optical nature of a charged particle beam, the text: Discusses both geometrical and wave optics, as well as the correspondence between them Describes the two-body scattering problem, which is essential to the interaction of a fast charged particle with matter Introduces electron emission as a practical consequence of quantum mechanics Addresses the Fourier transform and the linear second-order differential equation Includes problems to amplify and fill in the theoretical details, with solutions presented separately Charged Particle Optics Theory: An Introduction makes an ideal textbook as well as a convenient reference on the theoretical origins of the optics of charged particle beams. It is intended to prepare the reader to understand the large body of published research in this mature field, with the end result translated immediately to practical application.
Publication Date: 2017
Light - The Physics of the Photon by
From the early wave-particle arguments to the mathematical theory of electromagnetism to Einstein¿s work on the quantization of light, different descriptions of what constitutes light have existed for over 300 years. Light ¿ The Physics of the Photon examines the photon phenomenon from several perspectives. It demonstrates the importance of studying the photon as a concept belonging to a global vacuum (matter-free space). Divided into eight parts, the book begins with exploring aspects of classical optics in a global vacuum on the basis of free-space Maxwell equations. It then describes light rays and geodesics and presents a brief account of the Maxwell theory in general relativity. After discussing the theory of photon wave mechanics, the author gives a field-quantized description of the electromagnetic field, emphasizing single-photon quantum optics in Minkowskian space. He next focuses on photon physics in the rim zone of matter, paying particular attention to photon emission processes. He also takes a closer look at the photon source domain and field propagators, which conveniently describe the photon field propagation in the vicinity of and far from the electronic source domain. The last two parts discuss the photon vacuum and light quanta in Minkowskian space as well as two-photon entanglement, which is associated with the biphoton in space-time.
Publication Date: 2014
How the Ray Gun Got Its Zap by
How the Ray Gun Got Its Zap is a collection of essays that discusses odd and unusual topics in optics. Though optics is a fairly specialized branch of physics, this book extracts from the discipline topics that are particularly interesting, mysterious, culturally relevant, or accessible. Theessays all first appeared, in abbreviated form, in Optics and Photonics News and in The Spectrograph; the author has updated and expanded upon each of them for this book.The book is divided into three thematic sections: History, Weird Science, and Pop Culture. Chapters will discuss surprising uses of optics in classics and early astronomy; explain why we think of the sun as yellow when it is actually white; present how the laser is used in popular film; and profilethe eccentric scientists who contributed to optics. The essays are short and entertaining, and can be read in any order. The book should appeal to general audiences interested in optics or physics more generally, as well as members of the scientific community who are curious about opticsphenomena.
Publication Date: 2013
Let There Be Light by
This book is the first of its kind to devote itself at this level to the key role played by light and electromagnetic radiation in the universe. Readers are introduced to philosophical hypotheses such as the economy, symmetry, and universality of natural laws, and are then guided to practical consequences such as the rules of geometrical optics and even Einstein's well-known but mysterious relationship, E = mc2. Most chapters feature a pen picture of the life and character of a relevant scientific figure. These "Historical Interludes" include, among others, Galileo's conflicts with the Inquisition, Fourier's taunting of the guillotine, Neils Bohr and World War II, and the unique character of Richard Feynman.Going one step beyond the popular level, this easy-to-read book gives an overall view to undergraduate and postgraduate physics students that is often missing when trying to assimilate the technical details of their courses. Through its original treatment of topics and enjoyable style of writing, it will also stimulate keen interest in general readers who are interested in science and have a basic mathematics background as well as teachers looking for basic and accurate background information.
Publication Date: 2008
