Professor Swapan K. Saha has a strong interest in experimental physics, optical interferometry in particular, and has developed various instruments. He has taught observational astronomy, high-resolution imaging, aperture synthesis, adaptive optics, atmospheric science, and image processing at a couple of premiere institutes in India. Prof. Saha has delivered several invited and plenary talks at various national and international conferences and universities on these topics. Author of a few more books, he is on the editorial boards of the Asian Journal of Physics and the Journal of Optics (Springer) and has edited a book, 21st Century Astrophysics, as well as a special issue of the Asian Journal of Physics on astrophysics in 2004.
This unique book describes the current evolution of astronomical instruments in the way of high-resolution observations. The book nicely specifies the special requirements for detectors, which must respond fast for mitigating the degrading effect of the atmospheric turbulence. It should be of interest to professional and amateur astronomers, particularly those who may want to attempt forms of high-resolution observation, some of which are becoming widely accessible. -Antoine Labeyrie, Emeritus Professor, College de France, France Prof. Saha has done a splendid job by presenting a succinct description of the principles and applications of radiation detectors used for high-resolution imaging in visible and infrared astronomy. The scope of the book, however, extends to all areas of high-resolution imaging, and the book will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in learning about the state of the art in the field. -Prof. Lakshminarayan Hazra, University of Calcutta, India In the present volume, Saha has used his expertise in instrumentation and data analysis to expand his horizons to a wider range of high-resolution imaging techniques, essential characteristics of detectors and control electronics, and other wavelength ranges and kinds of astronomical sources. This book will be a valuable resource for astronomers and students involved in the design of modern instrumentation and attempting to take and make use of data with instrumentation that they did not design. -Prof. Virginia Trimble, University of California, Irvine, USA