A comprehensive reference to a kind of optical fiber that combines the optical gain of rare-earth ions with the large optical confinement available in a single-mode optical fiber, and so are used to produce devices that are both very small and extremely efficient. Scientists and engineers from academia and industry the US, Canada, Japan, and Scotland discuss optical and electronic properties of rare-earth ions in glasses, visible fluoride fiber lasers, broadband fiber sources, mode-locked fiber lasers, and other topics. Most of the 12 chapters have been updated from the 1993 edition, and much more coverage is included on the erbium-doped fiber amplifier, which in the interval has grown from a laboratory prototype to a keystone of optical communications systems. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)