Principles of Optics

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Principles of Optics is a seminal work in the field of optics, now presented in its first thoroughly revised and expanded edition. This edition introduces significant new material, including a section on CAT scans, which have transformed medical diagnostics. A new chapter on scattering from inhomogeneous media offers an in-depth exploration of scattering theory for both scalar and electromagnetic waves, featuring the Born and Rytov series. It also discusses diffraction tomography, a refinement of CAT scans, highlighting Emil Wolf's foundational contributions from 1969. The chapter further examines scattering from periodic potentials and its relevance to crystal structure determination through X-ray diffraction, covering key concepts like von Laue equations, Bragg's law, and the Ewald sphere, which have gained importance in optics, particularly in deep holography. Additional topics include interference with broad-band light, revealing recent discoveries related to spectral line shifts due to source coherence, and the growing popularity of Rayleigh-Sommerfield diffraction theory. New appendices, including one on energy conservation in scalar wavefields, enhance the text. This edition remains an essential resource for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers in various optics fields.