Principles of Biophotonics, volume two describes detection and statistical representation of optical fields. Beginning by placing the visible spectrum in the context of the electromagnetic frequency range, this presentation stresses how thin of a sliver is normally called the optical spectrum. In addition to describing properties of light with technical accuracy, the most common radiometric quantities are introduced, and conversion to photon-based quantities is explicitly presented. For completeness, an analogy to the photometric quantities is also made, and the three fundamental mechanisms for generating light, blackbody radiation, fluorescence and laser emission, are covered. Each chapter contains a set of practice problems and additional references, and this book aims to build the foundation for further study in subsequent volumes.

Principles of Biophotonics, volume two describes detection and statistical representation of optical fields. Beginning by placing the visible spectrum in the context of the electromagnetic frequency range, this presentation stresses how thin of a sliver is normally called the optical spectrum. To be able to describe properties of light with technical accuracy, the most common radiometric quantities are introduced, and conversion to photon-based quantities is explicitly presented. For completeness, an analogy to the photometric quantities is also made. Additionally, this volume covers the three fundamental mechanisms for generating light: blackbody radiation, fluorescence and laser emission, as well as emphasizing the specific properties of each type of radiation, especially in terms of the optical power spectrum. Each chapter contains a set of practice problems and additional references, and this book aims to build the foundation for further study in subsequent volumes.

1. Electromagnetic fields

2. Radiometric Properties of Light

3. Photon-based radiometric quantities

4. Photometric properties of light

5. Fluorescence

6. Black body radiation

7. LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

8. Classification of optical detectors

9. Statistics of optical detection

10. Detection noise

11. Figures of merit of optical detectors

12 Semiconductor materials

13. Photon detectors

14. Thermal detectors

15. Statistics of optical fields