Principles of Nano-Optics

by Lukas Novotny, Bert Hecht

Overview

Research in optics and photonics, in parallel with the rapid development of nanoscience, has driven advancements within many fields of contemporary science and technology, allowing nano-optics to flourish as a research field. This authoritative text provides a comprehensive and accessible account of this important topic, beginning with the theoretical foundations of light localization and the propagation and focusing of optical fields, before progressing to more advanced topics such as near-field optics, surface plasmons in noble metals, metamaterials, and quantum emitters. Now in its third edition, the book has been substantially restructured, expanded, and developed to include additional problem sets and important topics such as super-resolution microscopy, random media, and coupled-mode theory. It remains an essential resource for graduate students and researchers working in photonics, optoelectronics, and nano-optics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108478946
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/31/2025
Edition description:	3rd Revised ed.
Pages:	650
Product dimensions:	0.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Lukas Novotny is a Professor of Photonics at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. From 1999 to 2012 he was a faculty member of the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, where he started one of the first research programs in Nano-Optics. The first edition of 'Principles of Nano-Optics' evolved from the lectures he taught at the Institute.

Bert Hecht is a Full Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Würzburg. In his early career he worked in near-field optical microscopy and plasmonics at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory (Rüschlikon). After receiving his Ph.D. in 1996, he joined the Physical Chemistry Laboratory of ETH Zürich, studying the combination of single-molecule spectroscopy with scanning probe techniques. He was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation research professorship at the University of Basel in 2001 and has been a recipient of DFG Reinhart-Koselleck funding.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Theoretical foundations; 3. Propagation and focusing; 4. Superresolution; 5. Near-field optics; 6. Light-matter interactions; 7. Quantum emitters; 8. Dipole emission near planar interfaces; 9. Photonic crystals and metamaterials; 10. Random media; 11. Optical resonators and optomechanics; 12. Coupled mode theory; 13. Plasmonics; 14. Optical antennas; 15. Optical forces; 16. Stochastic fields and sources; 17. Theoretical methods; A. Semi-analytical derivation of the atomic polarizability; B. Spontaneous emission in the weak-coupling regime; C. Fields of a dipole near a layered substrate; D. Far-field green functions; E. Power spectral densities; Index.

Editorial Reviews

‘The textbook by Novotny & Hecht remains a key reference for anyone interested in the field. The long-awaited third edition includes not only important new chapters-such as those covering recent advances in light-matter interactions, a topic of growing significance-but also a thorough revision of existing content. Readers familiar with previous editions will appreciate the continuity of core material while benefiting from the substantial new content and refinements. The new edition stands out even more as an authoritative and essential textbook for anyone working in or entering the field of nano-optics.’ N. Asger Mortensen, University of Southern Denmark

‘A whole generation of researchers and graduate students have developed their knowledge of nano-optics through the earlier editions of the book by Novotny and Hecht. This third edition includes a new chapter on coupled mode theory and continues the trend previously applied in other chapters, as it provides the most detailed and complete reference in nano-optics for both graduate students and senior researchers.’ Javier Aizpurua, Donostia International Physics Center

From the Publisher