Includes bibliographical references and index.

Basic classical concepts -- Basic quantum mechanics -- Atom-field interactions -- Transient optical response -- Coherent interactions of fields and atoms -- Quantized fields and coherent states -- Selected topics and applications -- Appendices: Expectation values ; The Heisenberg uncertainty principle ; The classical Hamiltonian of electromagnetic interactions ; Stationary and time-dependent perturbation theory ; Second quantization of fermions -; Frequency shifts and decay due to reservoir coupling ; Solving for off-diagonal density matrix elements ; Irreducible tensor operators and Wigner-Eckart (W-E) theorem ; Derivation of efective Hamiltonians.

This book bridges a gap between introductory optics texts and the vanguard of optical science, where light is used as a tool to probe the properties of new materials. A single mathematical tool is introduced that enables readers to understand laser tweezers, laser cooling, optical magnetism, squeezed light, and many other advanced topics.