Book excerpt: The updated third edition of the only textbook on colour The revised third edition of Colour and the Optical Properties of Materials focuses on the ways that colour is produced, both in the natural world and in a wide range of applications. The expert author offers an introduction to the science underlying colour and optics and explores many of the most recent applications. The text is divided into three main sections: behaviour of light in homogeneous media, which can largely be explained by classical wave optics; the way in which light interacts with atoms or molecules, which must be explained mainly in terms of photons; and the interaction of light with insulators, semiconductors and metals, in which the band structure notions are of primary concern. The updated third edition retains the proven concepts outlined in the previous editions and contains information on the significant developments in the field with many figures redrawn and new material added. The text contains new or extended sections on photonic crystals, holograms, flat lenses, super-resolution optical microscopy and modern display technologies. This important book: Offers and introduction to the science that underlies the everyday concept of colour Reviews the cross disciplinary subjects of physics, chemistry, biology and materials science, to link light, colour and perception Includes information on many modern applications, such as the numerous different colour displays now available, optical amplifiers lasers, super-resolution optical microscopy and lighting including LEDs and OLEDs Contains new sections on photonic crystals, holograms, flat lenses, super-resolution optical microscopy and display technologies Presents many worked examples, with problems and exercises at the end of each chapter Written for students in materials science, physics, chemistry and the biological sciences, the third edition of Colour and The Optical Properties of Materials covers the basic science of the topic and has been thoroughly updated to include recent advances in the field.