High resolution spectroscopy 2nd edition
J. Michael Hollas
John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp 743, £60.00 (1998). ISBN 0 471 97421 9.
Reviewed by I.R. McNab, Department of Physics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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High resolution spectroscopy 2nd editionJ. Michael Hollas John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp 743, £60.00 (1998). ISBN 0 471 97421 9. Reviewed by I.R. McNab, Department of Physics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK |
The first edition of High Resolution Spectroscopy (the big book version of Modern Spectroscopy) was undoubtedly the best textbook on spectroscopy written at an undergraduate / beginning graduate level, and the second edition is an improvement.
The scope is ambitious, covering most spectroscopic techniques (with the exception of magnetic resonance) as can be seen from the chapter headings: Quantization of energy, Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with atoms and molecules, General experimental methods, Rotational spectroscopy, Vibrational spectroscopy, Electronic spectroscopy, Photoelectron spectroscopy, Lasers and laser spectroscopy.
The coverage is broad, deep and even. The first chapters give a concise and clear introduction to spectroscopy, covering much that is accessible elsewhere only in more complicated discussions.
I particularly liked the discussions on absorption, emission and line widths (which included asymmetric linewidths and why they arise), the discussion of the spectra of spherical rotors (which have been observed, although many texts say they cannot be), and the discussion of Hunds coupling cases.
It is the final chapter “lasers and laser spectroscopy” that raises High Resolution Spectroscopy to supreme heights. All that is in the other chapters is in other texts (few as clearly written), but the final chapter is essentially a comprehensive review of recent developments in laser sources and the interesting high resolution spectroscopy techniques that have emerged in the last two decades; each technique or piece of research is summarised beautifully. In particular I was struck by a summary of a recent review article that I wrote on H3+; the 90 page review was reduced to two sentences, but they were the right two sentences!
The production values of High Resolution Spectroscopy are high, diagrams are well reproduced and the whole text is lavishly illustrated with many spectra and diagrams of apparatus. There is a wealth of references; each chapter contains a bibliography and there are 574 references to original papers.
At £60, this is an expensive book, but it contains a great deal of material and is beautifully written; every library should contain a copy; every student of spectroscopy (no-matter what age!) should have a copy on their shelves.
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