Optical Materials (eBook)

Optical Materials, Second Edition, presents, in a unified form, the underlying physical and structural processes that determine the optical behavior of materials. It does this by combining elements from physics, optics, and materials science in a seamless manner, and introducing quantum mechanics when needed. The book groups the characteristics of optical materials into classes with similar behavior. In treating each type of material, the text pays particular attention to atomic composition and chemical makeup, electronic states and band structure, and physical microstructure so that the reader will gain insight into the kinds of materials engineering and processing conditions that are required to produce a material exhibiting a desired optical property. The physical principles are presented on many levels, including a physical explanation, followed by formal mathematical support and examples and methods of measurement. The reader may overlook the equations with no loss of comprehension, or may use the text to find appropriate equations for calculations of optical properties.

• Includes a fundamental description of optical materials at the beginner and advanced levels
• Provides a thorough coverage of the field and presents new concepts in an easy to understand manner that combines written explanations and equations
• Serves as a valuable toolbox of applications and equations for the working reader

Kelly S. Potter is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Optical Sciences, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of the Indigenous Food, Energy and Water Systems Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Potter received her B.S. in Physics in 1986 from Florida State University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in 1990 and 1994 respectively in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona. In addition, she served as a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Université de Rennes (France), and the Naval Research Laboratories between 1985 and 1990. Dr. Potter spent nearly 10 years at Sandia National Laboratories, from 1994 to 2003, ending in the position of Principal Member of Technical Staff and Project Manager for Advanced Optical Technologies. In 2003 she left Sandia National Laboratories to return to academia at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Potter is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), Director of the Arizona Research Initiative for Solar Energy (AzRISE), and is the current Vice-Chair of the Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology (HEART) Society. She served on the Executive Committee of the Glass and Optical Materials Division of ACerS between 2009 and 2013, on the Steering Committee of the HEART Society from 2009-2012 and again from 2015-2024, as executive editor of the Journal of Radiation Effects Research and Engineering (JRERE) from 2015 to 2018, and has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids since 2011. She is the co-author of three textbooks in the field of optics, has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, has delivered over 150 scholarly presentations to international audiences, and holds several patents. Her research, for which she has received a number of awards, focuses on radiation-hardened optics, photosensitive materials and devices, and sustainable energy systems.

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Optical Materials, Second Edition, presents, in a unified form, the underlying physical and structural processes that determine the optical behavior of materials. It does this by combining elements from physics, optics, and materials science in a seamless manner, and introducing quantum mechanics when needed. The book groups the characteristics of optical materials into classes with similar behavior. In treating each type of material, the text pays particular attention to atomic composition and chemical makeup, electronic states and band structure, and physical microstructure so that the reader will gain insight into the kinds of materials engineering and processing conditions that are required to produce a material exhibiting a desired optical property. The physical principles are presented on many levels, including a physical explanation, followed by formal mathematical support and examples and methods of measurement. The reader may overlook the equations with no loss of comprehension, or may use the text to find appropriate equations for calculations of optical properties. Includes a fundamental description of optical materials at the beginner and advanced levels Provides a thorough coverage of the field and presents new concepts in an easy to understand manner that combines written explanations and equations Serves as a valuable toolbox of applications and equations for the working reader