| This encyclopedia has been written with the intention to support the work of both engineers and researchers in the field of photonics. The core areas covered are the technology and physical basis of laser sources, nonlinear optics and fiber optics. As these areas and many applications involve a wide range of physical phenomena and techniques, it is natural to also cover supplementary topics like ultrashort pulses, optical communications, optoelectronics and quantum optics. Although it is of course impossible to find something like a clear boundary around the covered topical areas or to completely cover some technical area, I hope that the presented material will be useful for many. Great care has been taken to connect the different areas in various ways, for example with the discussion of applications in other areas, the mentioning of alternative technical approaches, or the hints for further reading in the "See also" section at the end of most articles. There is also an alphabetical index at the end of the second volume, containing not only the article keywords but also other keywords with referrals to certain articles and many acronyms used in the field. Finally, many articles contain a bibliography with references to selected scientific articles and textbooks, which can aid readers in their further studies.
The primary criterion for many decisions concerning this work has been the usefulness for the readers. This means, for example, that references in the bibliographies may not always indicate the first achievement of some kind, if a later paper appears to better describe the used methods or to be accessible more easily. Also, typical numbers for some quantities are often presented, accepting the risk that these disregard some important variations or may be somewhat outdated in a few years. Operating in a "safe mode", avoiding such risks, would have substantially limited the usefulness of the work and has therefore not been a priority.
This encyclopedia has actually first been published online, with open access for the public via http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia.html. Despite the advantages of online access, it has become clear that there is also a demand for a printed version for use in libraries of scientific institutions and industrial companies, but also in research and development teams. The preparation of the print version has also further improved the quality, thanks to the copy-editing organized by the publisher, the extensive additional proof-reading by myself, and additional efforts concerning graphics and layout. The online version will be developed further, and future editions of the print version will of course equally benefit from this work. Constructive feedback from the readership, delivered either by e-mail to the author or via the feedback form of the online version, is warmly welcome.
It remains to express my gratitude for the very substantial support of this project by my wife Christine Kirchrath Paschotta. Over several years she has made or improved many graphical illustrations and contributed already to the layout of the online version. Now she has taken care also of the much more sophisticated layout of the print version. I am very grateful for her consistent commitment, always seeking for the highest possible quality of this work, and for her efficiency, flexibility and pleasant style in the intense collaboration.
Rudiger Paschotta
(Paschotta @ rp-photonics .com)
Zurich
August 2008 |
