This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the field of modern fiber optics, beginning with the basics of the field summarized in an introductory chapter. Expert contributors then topics such as polarization effects in optical fibers; photonic crystal fibers; highly-doped optical fibers; non-linear effects; amplification and lasing in optical fibers; supercontinuum generation, Rayleigh and inelastic scattering with applications to sensing; optical fiber point sensors, and polymer optical-fiber-based sensors.

A wide market easy-to-understand tour of fiber optics, what it is, where it came from, how it works, and its future. Aimed at the get-up-to-speed audience reading at the Scientific American level, marketers, researchers and product designers switching over, anyone exploring a future in communication, telecommunications, or optoelectronics.

"This Note presents an overview of fiber optics technology and potential military applications of that technology. It outlines the dramatic growth of fiber optics technology to the point where it has virtually replaced other means of long-distance telecommunications. It discusses advantages and disadvantages of fiber optics in general, and then considers them in the light of applications to military systems. The Note considers several categories of developmental and proposed military systems that use some facet of fiber optics technology; however, it makes no attempt to analyze these systems in terms of technical feasibility, cost, or military utility. An appendix contains technical information on the principles of fiber optic information transfer."--Rand abstract.

The proceedings of the December 1997 conference reflect its emphasis on instrumentation and instrumental techniques, though some recent scientific results also are discussed. The 46 papers are divided into six parts--new advances in fiber technology and testing, multi-object spectroscopy, two-dimensional fiber spectroscopy, projects for large telescopes, multi-object and 2-D infrared fiber spectroscopy, and other applications. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR