Prof. A. E. Siegman: Recent Publications and Reference Lists

This page provides links to books and journal articles from recent years, plus a few annotated reference lists and bibliographies. For additional information see the Current research heading on my home page.

LASERS text: Errata List and other information

LASERS (University Science Books, 1986) is a comprehensive first-year-graduate-level textbook and reference book on laser physics and laser devices: Preface • Table of contents • Errata List (TeX source file) • Errata List (PDF file).

Note that LASERS was recently the 41,654-th best selling book on amazon.com.

Fiber fourier optics

Reprint of an Optics Letter showing how simple fiber optic networks can be used to evaluate the discrete Fast Fourier transform (DFT or FFT) of a coherent but discrete spatial optical distribution.

[But with apologies to M. E. Marhic, who published essentially the same idea a decade earlier in "Discrete Fourier transforms by single-mode star networks," Opt. Lett. 12 63--65 (January 1987).]

Gain guided fiber lasers

A derivation of the propagating modes in purely gain-guided optical fibers, or in fibers or waveguides with mixed gain guiding and index guiding or anti-guiding, along with a patent on the same concept. Also, an earlier seminar presentation on why such fibers might be useful for high-power fiber lasers.

Historical review of laser beams and resonators

A two-part historical review of the basic concepts of laser beams and optical resonators covering the 1960s (when they were mostly all developed) and the 1970s onward (when they expanded and flourished).

Laser beam quality tutorial

A short tutorial on how to define and measure "laser beam quality" (or better, "laser beam propagation factors") and a longer seminar presentation with examples (pdf, 3.5 Mb).

Uncertainty principles for Fourier series and DFTs

An analysis by Miguel Alonso, Greg Forbes and myself which extends the widely known uncertainty principle for continuous Fourier transforms to the more complex and interesting uncertainty relations for Fourier series and DFTs, building on an earlier article by Forbes and Alonso.

Laser beam quality references

An annotated bibliography of references on the definition and measurement of "laser beam quality" and the "M-squared" parameter.

Personal bibliography

Personal bibliography of books, journal articles, and conference presentations.

PhD dissertations

List of PhD dissertations from my group, from 1961 through 1999.