Recent years have witnessed rapid advances in the development of solid state, fiber, semiconductor, and parametric sources of coherent radiation, which are opening up new opportunities for laser applications. Laser Sources and Applications provides a tutorial introduction to the basic principles of these developments at a level suitable for postgraduate research students and others with a basic knowledge of lasers and nonlinear optics. Encompassing both the physics and engineering aspects of the field, the book covers the nature of nonlinear optical interactions; solid state, fiber, and semiconductor lasers; optical parametric oscillators; and ultrashort pulse generation and applications. It also explores applications of current interest, such as electromagnetically induced transparency, atomic trapping, and soliton optical communications.