SYNOPSISThe book describes a theory which has dominated the recent theoretical plasma physics area for the last 5-10 years and has found application in all subjects where waves in continuous media are studied - plasma physics, astrophysics and optics. The general theory presented here allows fluid, kinetic, quantum and classical electrodynamical approaches to be formulated and examples are drawn from plasma physics, cosmology, fibre optics, mathematical physics, particle accelerator physics and radiation physics.This general theory will provide a new modern understanding of photon interaction with matter for years to come, and is here presented by one of the major players in its development in a clear format which will make it accessible to a wide variety of researchers. FROM THE CRITICSBooknewsThe theory of photon acceleration has found application in subjects where waves in continuous media are studied, such as plasma physics, astrophysics, and nonlinear optics. Mendonca (physics, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon) presents a description of this theory and related new concepts such as the effective photon mass and the equivalent photon charge or the photon Landau damping. Four different theoretical approaches to photon acceleration are considered: single photon trajectories, photon kinetic theory, classical full wave models, and quantum theory. The concepts of time reflection and time refraction also are introduced. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)