Light-Matter Interaction

This book draws together the essential elements of classical electrodynamics, surface wave physics, plasmonic materials, and circuit theory of electrical engineering to provide insight into the essential physics of nanoscale light-matter interaction and to provide design methodology for practical nanoscale plasmonic devices. A chapter on classical and quantal radiation also highlights the similarities (and differences) between the classical fields of Maxwell's equations and the wave functions of Schrodinger's equation. The aim of this chapter is to provide a semiclassical picture of atomic absorption and emission of radiation, lending credence and physical plausibility to the "rules" of standard wave-mechanical calculations. The structure of the book is designed around five principal chapters, but many of the chapters have extensive "complements" that either treat important digressions from the main body or penetrate deeper into some fundamental issue. Furthermore, at the end of the book are several appendices to provide readers with a convenient reference for frequently-occurring special functions and explanations of the analytical tools, such as vector calculus and phasors, needed to express important results in electromagnetics and waveguide theory. This book provides a clear and concise explanation of the classical electromagnetism and basic quantum mechanics needed to explore interactions between light and matter [] those who seek a good grounding in electromagnetics will find this text very useful. There are also a number of helpful supplements and appendices which provide added detail on diverse topics. Optics & Photonics Light-Matter Interaction is pleasant to read and does a good job of introducing the reader to electromagnetic waves in matter and to nanoscale radiation-matter interactions, with a focus on surface and interface phenomena. The books distinctive feature is its joining of physics and engineering in its description of surface plasmons: Youll find both a detailed description of the theoretical bases and examples from real metallic systems. Physics Today1. Historical Synopsis of Light-Matter Interaction ; 2. Elements of Classical Electromagnetic Field Theory ; Complement A Energy Flow in Polarizable Matter ; Complement B Macroscopic Polarization from Microscopic Polarizability ; Complement C The Classical Charged Oscillator and the Dipole Antenna ; 3. Surface Waves ; 4. Transmission Lines, Waveguides, and Equivalent Circuits ; 5. Radiation in Classical and Quantal Atoms ; Complement D Classical Blackbody Radiation ; Appendix A Systems of Units in Electromagnetism ; Appendix B Review of Vector Calculus ; Appendix C Gradient, divergence and curl in cylindrical and polar coordinates ; Appendix D Properties of Phasors ; Appendix E Properties of the Laguerre Functions ; Appendix F Properties of the Legendre functions ; Appendix G Properties of the Hermite polynomials