Lasers -- Copyright -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Contents -- LASERS INVENTION TO APPLICATION -- The Laser: Still Young at 25? -- LOOKING BACK 25 YEARS -- HOW LASERS WORK -- THE PRESENT STATUS OF LASERS -- AN ELECTRONIC OLYMPIC GAMES? -- Frequency Range, Tuning Range, and Bandwidth -- Peak Power -- Continuous Power Output -- Efficiency -- Pulsewidth -- Frequency Stability and Spectral Purity -- Antenna Beamwidth -- Computing Capability -- LASER APPLICATIONS -- NEW DEVELOPMENTS -- Free Electron Lasers -- Femtosecond Optical Pulses, Bistability, Chaos, and Solitons -- Trapping and Cooling of Single Atoms and Ions -- Multiple Quantum Well Structures -- X-Ray Lasers -- Lasers in Modern Industries -- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND -- A Multidisciplinary Field -- The Birth of the Technology -- Engineering Development Phase -- Manufacturing Technology Phase -- Next: Mature Technology Phase -- RECENT LASER MARKETS -- Commercial Laser Industry -- PHOTONICS VERSUS ELECTRONICS -- SELECTED INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS -- Manufacturing Semiconductor Integrated Circuits -- Laser Material Working -- Laser Radar -- Electric Cable Inspection -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- Lasers in Communications and Information Processing -- LASERS IN COMMUNICATIONS -- OPTICAL FIBERS -- LASERS -- Status of Lasers for Communications -- Optical Power Output -- Modulation Bandwidth -- Reliability -- Frequency Spectrum -- Cost -- Future Trends in Lasers -- Materials -- Frequency Control -- Linewidth -- Integration -- DETECTORS -- STATUS OF LIGHTWAVE COMMUNICATIONS -- OPTICAL PROCESSING -- Optical Switching -- Optical Modulation -- Optical Storage -- Optical Logic and Bistability -- Directions in Optical Processing -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Appendix A: Characteristics of Optical Fibers -- Fiber Loss -- FIBER DISPERSION -- SOLITON PROPAGATION -- REFERENCES.

Appendix B: Detectors in Optical Communications -- PIN Photodetectors and PIN-FET Receivers -- Heterojunction Avalanche Photodiodes -- Advanced Avalanche Photodiodes and Solid-State Photomultipliers -- Photoconductors -- References -- Appendix C: Coherent System Experiment -- References -- Lasers in Medicine -- LIGHT IN MEDICINE -- MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY -- BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS -- SURGICAL EFFECTS -- CLINICAL APPLICATIONS -- Ophthalmology -- Dermatology -- Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery -- Gastroenterology -- Neurosurgery -- Gynecology -- General Surgery -- Pulmonology -- Urology -- Orthopedic Surgery -- Cardiovascular Applications -- Photodynamic Therapy -- THE FUTURE -- Lasers in Science -- REFERENCES -- Interactions between the Science and Technology of Lasers -- THE MASER AS THE CRITICAL STEP -- LASERS-THE FIRST ROUND -- LASERS-THE SECOND ROUND -- DEVELOPMENTS AND NEW FRONTIERS -- INTERACTION AMONG THE SOCIETIES -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Contributors -- Glossary.