The Principles of Astronomical
Telescope Design
Jingquan Cheng
Springer 2009 (translated from the 2003 Chinese version); $179.00 (hardcover).
This book is written for graduate students, engineers and scientists. While it describes all aspects of
telescope design, it is notable for its discussion of adaptive optics, optical interferometers, aperture
synthesis, radio telescope design, as well as infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma ray imaging. I rec-
ommend the chapter on adaptive optics since it contains a critical analysis of various wavefront sen-
sors. The wide scope of the volume is diminished by three factors: the figures are low quality (some
are difficult to read); the references are not cited in the text; and the content including the references
is more than a decade old.
Review by Barry R Masters, Fellow of OSA, SPIE and AAAS, department of biological engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.
The Adaptive Optics Revolution: A History
Robert W. Duffner
University of New Mexico Press, 2009; $45.00 (hardcover).
This highly recommended book by a historian for the Air Force is appropriate for everyone who
works in adaptive optics (i.e., correcting distorted wavefronts in telescopes, microscopes, and clinical
ophthalmic devices) and those interested in the history of optical technology and technology transfer
from government to the academic sector. Duffner used primary sources, archives, and interviews
with 71 scientists/engineers to write this well-illustrated book. Much of the material was classified
in the 1970s and 1980s. However, in the 1990s, the government declassified the materials, resulting
in significant technology transfer to researchers in such diverse fields as astronomy, microscopy
and ophthalmology.
Review by Barry R Masters, Fellow of OSA, SPIE and AAAS, department of biological engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.
Atomistic and Continuum Modeling
of Nanocrystalline Materials
M. Cherkaoui and L. Capolungo
Springer, N.Y., 2009; $139.00 (hardcover).
Cherkaoui and Capolungo present a thorough introduction to the modelling of the mechanical behavior
of nanocrystalline (NC) materials. This book is aimed at an audience of materials science researchers
and their graduate students; no previous knowledge of nanophysics is assumed. The discussion cov-
ers grain boundary dislocation, plastic deformation of NC materials and multi-scale materials modeling.
The authors also describe potentially important future developments. The book is well organized and
well written. Ideas and mathematical developments are conveyed clearly, but, at the same time, the
presentation is completely rigorous. Scientists interested in studying NC materials will find this book to
be both an excellent introduction and a valuable reference.
Review by Christian Brosseau, a professor of physics in the physics department at the Université de Bretagne
Occidentale in Brest, France.
50 | OPN Optics & Photonics News
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