Interference: The History of Optical Interferometry and the Scientists who Tamed Light, is published! It is available now at Oxford University Press and can be pre-ordered at Amazon and Barnes&Nobles to ship on Sept. 6.

The synopses of the first chapters can be found in my previous blog. Here are previews of the final chapters.

Chapter 6. Across the Universe: Exoplanets, Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

Stellar interferometry is opening new vistas of astronomy, exploring the wildest occupants of our universe, from colliding black holes half-way across the universe (LIGO) to images of neighboring black holes (EHT) to exoplanets near Earth that may harbor life.

Across the Universe: Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and the Search for Exoplanets describes the latest discoveries of interferometry in astronomy including the use of nulling interferometry in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) to detect exoplanets orbiting distant stars.  The much larger Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) used long baseline interferometry and closure phase advanced by Roger Jenison to make the first image of a black hole.  The Laser Interferometric Gravitational Observatory (LIGO) represented a several-decade-long drive to detect the first gravitational waves first predicted by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago.

Chapter 7. Two Faces of Microscopy: Diffraction and Interference

From the astronomically large dimensions of outer space to the microscopically small dimensions of inner space, optical interference pushes the resolution limits of imaging.

Two Faces of Microscopy: Diffraction and Interference describes the development of microscopic principles starting with Joseph Fraunhofer and the principle of diffraction gratings that was later perfected by Henry Rowland for high-resolution spectroscopy.  The company of Carl Zeiss advanced microscope technology after enlisting the help of Ernst Abbe who formed a new theory of image formation based on light interference.  These ideas were extended by Fritz Zernike in the development of phase-contrast microscopy.  The ultimate resolution of microscopes, defined by Abbe and known as the Abbe resolution limit, turned out not to be a fundamental limit, but was surpassed by super-resolution microscopy using concepts of interference microscopy and structured illumination.

Chapter 8. Holographic Dreams of Princess Leia: Crossing Beams

The coherence of laser light is like a brilliant jewel that sparkles in the darkness, illuminating life, probing science and projecting holograms in virtual worlds.

Holographic Dreams of Princess Leia: Crossing Beams presents the history of holography, beginning with the original ideas of Denis Gabor who invented optical holography as a means to improve the resolution of electron microscopes.  Holography became mainstream after the demonstrations by Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks using lasers that were first demonstrated by Ted Maiman at Hughes Research Lab after suggestions by Charles Townes on the operating principles of the optical maser.  Dynamic holography takes place in crystals that exhibit the photorefractive effect that are useful for adaptive interferometry.  Holographic display technology is under development, using ideas of holography merged with light-field displays that were first developed by Gabriel Lippmann.

Chapter 9. Photon Interference: The Foundations of Quantum Communication and Computing

What is the image of one photon interfering? Better yet, what is the image of two photons interfering? The answer to this crucial question laid the foundation for quantum communication.

Photon Interference: The Foundations of Quantum Communication moves the story of interferometry into the quantum realm, beginning with the Einstein-Podolski-Rosen paradox and the principle of quantum entanglement that was refined by David Bohm who tried to banish uncertainty from quantum theory.  John Bell and John Clauser pushed the limits of what can be known from quantum measurement as Clauser tested Bell’s inequalities, confirming the fundamental nonlocal character of quantum systems.  Leonard Mandel pushed quantum interference into the single-photon regime, discovering two-photon interference fringes that illustrated deep concepts of quantum coherence.  Quantum communication began with quantum cryptography and developed into quantum teleportation that can provide the data bus of future quantum computers.

Chapter 10. The Quantum Advantage: Interferometric Computing

There is almost no technical advantage better than having exponential resources at hand. The exponential resources of quantum interference provide that advantage to quantum computing which is poised to usher in a new era of quantum information science and technology.

The Quantum Advantage: Interferometric Computing describes the development of quantum algorithms and quantum computing beginning with the first quantum algorithm invented by David Deutsch as a side effect of his attempt to prove the multiple world interpretation of quantum theory.  Peter Shor found a quantum algorithm that could factor the product of primes and that threatened all secure communications in the world.  Once the usefulness of quantum algorithms was recognized, quantum computing hardware ideas developed rapidly into quantum circuits supported by quantum logic gates.  The limitation of optical interactions, that hampered the development of controlled quantum gates, led to the proposal of linear optical quantum computing and boson sampling in a complex cascade of single-photon interferometers that has been used to demonstrate quantum supremacy, also known as quantum computational advantage, using photonic integrated circuits.

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New from Oxford Press: Interference