Friedman E., Miller J.L. Photonics Rules of Thumb: Optics, Electro-Optics, Fiber Optics, and Lasers

New York: McGraw-Hill. – 2004. – 433 p. The evolution of the electro-optical (EO) sciences parallels, and feeds from, developments in a number of somewhat unrelated fields, including astronomy, satellite and remote sensing technology, materials science, electronics, optical communications, military research, and many others. This book will help any EO team to make quick assessments, generally requiring no more than a calculator, so that they quickly find the right solution for a design problem. The book is also useful for managers, marketeers, and other semitechnical folks who are new to the electro-optical industry (or are on its periphery) to develop a feel for the difference between the chimerical and the real. Students may find the same type of quick-calculation approach valuable, particularly in the case of oral exams in which the professor is pressuring the student to do a complex problem quickly. Using these assembled rules, you can keep your wits about you and provide an immediate and nearly correct answer, which usually will save the day. But after the day is saved, you should go back to the question and perform a rigorous analysis. These rules are useful for quick sanity checks and basic relationships. Being familiar with the rules allows one to rapidly pinpoint trouble areas or ask probing questions in meetings. They aid in thinking on your feet and in developing a sense of what will work and what won’t. But they are not, and never will be, the last word. It is fully recognized that errors may still be present, and for that we apologize in advance to readers and those from whom the material was derived. The bulk of this book consists of more than 300 rules, divided into 18 chapters. Each chapter begins with a short background and history of the general subject matter to set the stage and provide a foundation. The rules follow. Because many rules apply to more than one chapter, a comprehensive index and detailed table of contents is included. We apologize for any confusion you may have in finding a given rule, but it was necessary to put them somewhere and, quite honestly, it was often an arbitrary choice between one or more chapters. Students and those new to the field will find the glossary useful. Here you will find definitions of jargon, common acronyms, abbreviations, and a lexicon intended to resolve confusing and ambiguous terms.Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing/Detection, Recognition, and Identification
Astronomy
Atmospherics
Backgrounds
Cryogenics
Detectors
Displays
The Human Eye
Lasers
Material Properties
Miscellaneous
Ocean Optics
Optics
Radiometry
Shop Optics
Systems
Target Phenomenology
Visible and Television Sensors
AppendixAbout the Authors