Structured Light and its Applications - An Introduction to Phase-Structured Beams and Nanoscale Optical Forces

New possibilities have recently emerged for producing optical beams with complex and intricate structures, and for the non-contact optical manipulation of matter. This book fully describes the electromagnetic theory, optical properties, methods and applications associated with this new technology. Detailed discussions are given of unique beam characteristics, such as optical vortices and other wavefront structures, the associated phase properties and photonic aspects, along with applications ranging from cold atom manipulation to optically driven micromachines. Graduate students and established researchers in academia, national laboratories and industry will find this book an invaluable guide to the latest technologies in this rapidly developing field.