Optics Near Surfaces and at the Nanometer Scale

This book explores the physical phenomena underlying the optical responses of nanoscale systems and uses this knowledge to explain their behavior, which is very different to what is encountered on the macroscopic scale. In the first three chapters, the authors discuss important aspects of wave optics on surfaces and at small scales, such as the optical interference near surfaces, the physical origin of the index of refraction, and how imaging optical fields can be used to enhance resolution in optical diffraction microscopy. The last two chapters treat a concept on the consequence of the finite size of the focal spot in optical spectroscopy and how the index of refraction can be related to scattering of an ensemble of discrete scatterers. The concepts described here are important to understanding the optical properties of nanoparticles or nanostructured surfaces and are not covered in most fundamental optics courses. This book is designed for researchers and graduate students looking for an introduction to optics at small scales.

Wolfgang Bacsa is an expert in the field of optics and nano-materials characterization. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich and has extensive research and teaching experience in condensed matter physics, photonics and nanomaterials. He is a professor at CEMES-CNRS/ Toulouse University, France. He has made pioneering contributions to the field of advanced optical microscopy for which he received two Innovation prizes in 1998 and a NSTI Fellows award in 2006. He has been a visiting professor at Boston University in 2004 and Ulsan National Institute of Technology in 2016. Wolfgang Bacsa’s other research interests cover carbon nanotubes, graphene and strongly correlated electron systems. He is the author of 200+ publications and 4 book chapters.

Revathi Bacsa is currently an independent nanomaterials consultant. She concluded her Ph.D in materials chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science and has worked for overthree decades as a researcher in both academia and industry in Switzerland, France and in the USA. Her area of expertise is in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials focusing on process development, technology transfer and applications of advanced materials in nanotechnology, energy and environmental applications. In 2015, she received a prize for her innovative process for the large-scale production of few layer graphene. Author of over 60+ publications, 2 book chapters and 2 patents, R. Bacsa also has extensive editing expertise and collaborates with universities and research labs as a freelance science editor.

Tim Myers has over thirty years’ experience in developing and applying mathematical models to practical physical situations. In the past decade his work has focused primarily on the rich variety of new problems that arise at the nanoscale. His current research interests include nanoscale heat transfer and phase change, the growth of nanocrystals from a colloidal solution, nanofluid flow and imaging nanoparticles. He has worked at universities and research institutes throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, South Korea, South Africa, the UK and Spain. He is currently a Principal Investigator at the Centre de Recerca Matematica in Barcelona and also holds adjunct professor positions in Spain and Ireland. Since 2011 he has been accredited at the highest research level within the Catalan accreditation system (AQU). In 2014 he was awarded the Premi Albert Dou for applying mathematics in a non-traditional setting.