Preface

Glossary of Symbols and Acronyms

Introduction

Light and Matter in Ancient Greece

Light and Matter in the Common Era

Light: Waves and Particles

The Current Evolution of the Concept of Light

Maxwell's Equations

Boundary Conditions

Electromagnetic Waves

Properties of Electromagnetic Waves

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Cavity Radiation

The Stefan–Boltzmann Law

Planck's Law for Cavity Radiation

Blackbody Radiation

The Photon

Temporal and Spatial Coherence

Matter

Atoms

The Bohr Theory of the Hydrogen Atom

Wave–Particle Duality

Wavefunction

The Schrödinger Equation

A Solution to the Schrödinger Equation

Quantum States

Quantum Mechanical Measurements

Operators and Expectation Values

Density Matrix

Wave Packet

The Schrödinger Equation for Single-Electron Atoms

Quantum Numbers

Selection Rules

Electron Spin

Spin–Orbit Interaction

Total Angular Momentum of Single-Electron Atoms

Total Angular Momentum of Multi-Electron Atoms

Independent-Particle Approximation

Periodic Table of Elements

Mendeleev's Periodic Table

Molecules

Classification of Simple Molecules

Molecular Vibrations

Molecular Rotations

Molecular Transitions

Gases, Liquids, and Solids

The van der Waals Interaction and Covalent Solids

Ionic and Metallic Solids

Energy Bands in Solids

Phonons

Crystal Lattice

Reciprocal Lattice

The Debye Frequency

Lattice Vibrations

Quantized Vibrational Modes

Classification of Light–Matter Interaction Processes

Light–Atom, Light–Molecule, and Light–Solid Interaction

Rabi Frequency

The Stark Effect

The Zeeman Effect

The Electron Oscillator Model

Spontaneous Emission

Classical Oscillator Absorption

Light Absorption

Stimulated Emission

Oscillator Strength

Frictional Process

Radiative Broadening

Collisional Broadening

Doppler Broadening

Homogeneous and Inhomogeneous Broadening

Active Media

Einstein A and B Coefficients

Solid-State Laser Operation

Absorption and Stimulated Emission Cross Sections

Absorption and Gain Coefficients

Population Inversion

Three-Level Laser Scheme

Gain Saturation

Laser Threshold Gain

Coherence in Light–Atom Interaction

Optical Bloch Equations

The Bloch Sphere

Photon Echo

Collective Spontaneous Emission

Spontaneous Radiation and Superradiance

Superradiance Compared with Superfluorencence

Self-Induced Transparency

Electromagnetic Field Generation

Vector and Scalar Potentials

Near Field, Intermediate Field, and Far Field

Oscillating Electric Dipole

Oscillating Magnetic Dipole

Electric Dipole versus Magnetic Dipole

Quantization of the Electromagnetic Field

Light Propagation

Polarization of a Dielectric Medium

Light Propagation in a Dielectric

Normal and Anomalous Dispersion

Light Propagation in a Metal

Polaritons

Dielectric Function

Surface Polaritons

Resonant Linear Susceptibility

Nonlinear Optical Effects

Anharmonic Oscillator

First-Order Classical Electric Susceptibility

Second-Order Classical Electric Susceptibility

Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory

Perturbative Corrections in the Electric Field

Polarization Calculation

Linear and Nonlinear Susceptibilities

Nonlinear Optics Effects

Second-Order Optical Wave Interactions

The Linear Electro-Optic Effect

The Wave Equation for Nonlinear Media

Coupled-Wave Equations

Second-Harmonic Generation

Difference-Frequency Generation

Phase-Matching Conditions

Third-Order Optical Wave Interactions

Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Interactions

Self-Focusing

Self-Phase Modulation

Solitons

Four-Wave Mixing

Third-Harmonic Generation

Spontaneous Raman Scattering

Raman Active Phonons

Stimulated Raman Scattering

Spontaneous Brillouin Scattering

Principals of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Light–Plasma Interaction

The Debye–Hückel Length

Plasma Permittivity

Electromagnetic Waves in a Plasma

Optical Pressure

A Short History of Optical Pressure

Optical Force in the Ray Optics Regime

Optical Trapping as Scattering

Optical Force in Rayleigh (Dipole) Approximation

Equation Summary

Bibliography of Further Reading

Index

The interaction of light and matter has been a subject of scientific research since the 5th century BC. Its investigation has resulted in the evolution from the ancient corpuscular theory to the wave theory and finally to the quantum theory. Application of the theoretical research on light–matter interaction has led to numerous scientific achievements, including lasers, optical trapping, and optical cooling, among others. Indeed, it has brought into existence the entire field of photonics.

The primary objective of Field Guide to Light–Matter Interaction is to provide an overview of the basic principles of light and matter interaction using classical, semiclassical, and quantum approaches. The book covers basic photonics concepts using classical electrodynamics. A vast majority of light–matter interaction problems can be treated to a high accuracy within the semiclassical theory, where atoms with quantized energy levels interact with classical electromagnetic fields. The concepts involved in these problems are all addressed. The book also considers the interaction of matter with quantized electromagnetic fields consisting of photons. This approach gives a complete account of light–matter interaction, explaining many effects (such as the photoelectric effect) that cannot be explained using classical electromagnetic fields. The book elucidates the interaction of electromagnetic waves with atoms, molecules, solids, and plasma. It also covers the main concepts of optical pressure.

Field Guide to Light–Matter Interaction can also serve as a complement to Field Guide to Laser Cooling Methods, published by SPIE Press in 2019.

I would like to thank SPIE Director of Publications Patrick Franzen and Field Guide Series Editor Scott Tyo for the opportunity to write a Field Guide for one of the most interesting areas of current scientific research. I also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions and comments on the draft of this Field Guide. Finally, I wish to thank SPIE Press Sr. Editor Dara Burrows for her help.

This book is dedicated to my mom, Albina.

Galina Nemova
February 2022