Femtosecond Laser Pulses

This smooth introduction for advanced undergraduate students starts with the fundamentals of lasers and pulsed optics. Thus prepared, the student learns how to generate short and ultrashort laser pulses, how to manipulate them, and how to measure them. Finally, spectroscopic implications are discussed. This rounded text gives the student an up-to-date introduction to one of the most exciting fields in laser physics. TOC:Preface.- Laser Basics.- Pulsed Optics.- Methods for the Generation of Ultra-short Laser Pulses I.- Methods for the Generation of Ulta-short Optical Pulses II.- Pulsed Diode Lasers.- How to Manipulate and Change the Characteristics of Pulses.- How to Measure the Characteristics of Pulses.- Spectroscopic Methods for Sample Dynamic Analysis.- Coherent Effects in Femtosecond Spectroscopy.- Terahertz Femtosecond Pulses.- Index