Students and professionals alike have long felt the need of a modern
source of practical advice on the use of optical tools in scientific
research. Walter T. Welford's "Useful Optics" meets this need.
Welford offers a succinct review of principles basic to the construction
and use of optics in physics. His lucid explanations and clear
illustrations will particularly help those whose interests lie in other
areas but who nevertheless must understand enough about optics to create
the experimental apparatus necessary to their research. Consistently
emphasizing applications and practical points of design, Welford covers
a host of topics: mirrors and prisms, optical materials, aberration, the
limits of image formation and resolution, illumination for image-forming
systems, laser beams, interference and interferometry, detectors and
light sources, holography, and more. The final chapter deals with
putting together an experimental optics system.
Many areas of the physical sciences and engineering increasingly demand
an appreciation of optics. Welford's "Useful Optics" will prove
indispensable to any researcher trying to develop and use effective
optical apparatus. Walter T. Welford (1916-1990) was professor of
physics at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine from
1951 until his death. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the
Optical Society of America.