Understanding Lasers: An Entry-Level Guide

I haven't read such a good book in a long time! Most science books take a lot of space and words to say too little, but this one is perfect. Concise and to the point, much is explained, and explained well, in few words. Not quite summary or outline, but deep enough to explain the concepts sufficiently.Appropriate math and equations are given, and can be understood by anyone with first year college math, or advanced high school. But a lot of effort is not spent detailing the math, rather the relationships are simply stated for knowledge. The emphasis is on explanation of all concepts regarding lasers, and the physics and optics behind it. Good use of graphics and illustrations as well.The book appears to be aimed towards those with some preliminary background and grasp of basic physics and higher math, and who simply want to learn about lasers in particular. If you have absolutely no background in these things to begin with, the material may be hard to follow. I would say advanced high school or undergraduate college level.My profession and background is science, and I wanted to learn about lasers in detail after seeing videos of recent military weapons tests, and after acquiring a couple of the high power laser "pointers" now available online. They are impressive to say the least, and I wanted to understand what was happening. An entire chapter in the book is devoted to semiconductor lasers, and the concept(s) are explained quite well and in detail.All aspects of laser technology are discussed, from the basic principles of the three main laser types (gas, solid state, semiconductor), the fundamental principle(s) of all laser action, and current/future technology and uses, from optical data storage to military weapons.I highly recommend this book, well worth the price.

Wonderful! Absolutely marvelous! This book took me from "Oooo, lasers!" to dreams of transverse mode-locking my own nanosecond diode laser. This book truly does break down complex concepts and spoon feeds them to you in understandable chunks. It is truly a must-read for anyone wanting to DIY a laser.

Excellent a most to any one that needs to learn about all type of lasers, very clear, can be use as a text book for a laser class, has questions at the end of each chapter, I give a 10 !!!!

This book really assisted me and other classmates to fill in the blanks in basic terminology & understanding from what our professor was teaching in college. It gives you the information in a way for the beginner to connect the dots.

Quite complete analysis, very difficult to understand in some places. Little or nothing about necessary attributes of the incoming / laser-light creating light.

Good

I start with an admission - I saw the name 'Hecht' and thought - this will be good, rigorous laser Physics. I had mistaken the author, Jeff Hecht, for the writer of a classic modern textbook on Optics, Eugene Hecht. An expensive mistake? Not really: Jeff Hecht does cover very many aspects of laser Physics very skilfully. There are almost no derivations, yet he gives some key equations, with enough explanation of the relevant Physics for a physics graduate to have a good feel for how the equation is justified. An example: I'm about a third of the way through the book, and have just encountered explanations of Q-switching, cavity-dumping and mode-locking. I now know how they're done, why they're done, the difference between them, and typical pulse lengths in each case. I'm looking forward to what he says about semiconductor lasers, which have always been a closed book for me. So, to sum up: comprehensive and accessible coverage, but no detailed mathematical treatments.