“A unique feature of Liu and Tripathi's book is that it gives the mathematical basis of many concepts that are taken for granted in other reviews. Such mathematical treatments are often omitted in, for example, William Kruer's well-known text, The Physics of Laser Plasma Interaction (Addison-Wesley, 1987). The new monograph thus fills an important gap. Further, its derivations are reasonably detailed, and key results are displayed for ready use … The authors have made important contributions to parametric processes in plasmas and their account is authoritative … The lucid and sometimes beautiful physical explanations are a pleasure to read. The succinct summaries given at the beginning of each chapter are useful … is highly recommended to those who wish to launch a serious study of laser-plasma interaction. It should also be useful for a special-topics course at the advanced graduate level.”

Physics Today

The interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter has always been a fascinating subject of study. As matter in the universe is mostly in the plasma state, the study of electromagnetic waves in plasmas is of importance to astrophysics, space physics and ionospheric physics. The physics of electromagnetic wave interacting with electron beams and plasmas also serves as a basis for coherent radiation generation such as free electron laser and gyrotron and advanced accelerators. This monograph aims at reviewing the physical processes of linear and nonlinear collective interactions of electromagnetic waves with electron beams and unmagnetized plasmas.