Book excerpt: Laser Speckle and Applications in Optics focuses on developments in laser speckle techniques, with emphasis on the experimental aspect of phenomena and on applications in optics. These applications include interference with scattered light, optical processing of images, and studies of surface roughness as well as displacements and deformations of diffuse objects. This book is comprised of 10 chapters and begins by reviewing the elements of diffraction theory and the properties of speckle in the image of a diffuse object. The discussion then turns to speckle in the near field and interferometry with diffuse light, along with experiments in which interference patterns are produced from photographically superimposed laterally shifted speckle patterns. The following chapters consider optical processing of images modulated by speckle; deformations and displacements of diffuse objects; speckle applications in astronomy; and surface roughness measurements. The final chapter looks at the use of laser speckle to study transparent objects; the average shape of diffuse surfaces; the transfer functions and aberrations of optical systems; and the movement of diffuse objects. This monograph will be of value to physicists and researchers as well as those interested in lasers and optics.