A Student's Guide to Fourier Transforms
With Applications in Physics and Engineering

New edition of an introduction to Fourier transforms, invaluable to students in physics, electrical and electronic engineering, and computer science.

J. F. James (Author)

9780521176835, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 March 2011

156 pages, 73 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.3 x 0.1 cm, 0.26 kg

'… this is an excellent book to initiate students who possess a reasonable mathematical background to the use of Fourier transforms …' Microscopy and Analysis

Fourier transform theory is of central importance in a vast range of applications in physical science, engineering and applied mathematics. Providing a concise introduction to the theory and practice of Fourier transforms, this book is invaluable to students of physics, electrical and electronic engineering, and computer science. After a brief description of the basic ideas and theorems, the power of the technique is illustrated through applications in optics, spectroscopy, electronics and telecommunications. The rarely discussed but important field of multi-dimensional Fourier theory is covered, including a description of Computer Axial Tomography (CAT scanning). The book concludes by discussing digital methods, with particular attention to the Fast Fourier Transform and its implementation. This new edition has been revised to include new and interesting material, such as convolution with a sinusoid, coherence, the Michelson stellar interferometer and the van Cittert–Zernike theorem, Babinet's principle and dipole arrays.

1. Physics and Fourier transforms
2. Useful properties and theorems
3. Applications 1: Fraunhofer diffraction
4. Applications 2: signal analysis and communication theory
5. Applications 3: spectroscopy and spectral line shapes
6. Two-dimensional Fourier transforms
7. Multi-dimensional Fourier transforms
8. The formal complex Fourier transform
9. Discrete and digital Fourier transforms
10. Appendix
11. Bibliography
12. Index.

Subject Areas: Mathematical physics [PHU], Physics [PH], Mathematics & science [P]