Introduction trends in dielectric research during 1962

No major breakthroughs are reported by our authors this year, although the total volume of the literature continues to rise. Considerably increased activity has been observed in certain areas, but this is the result of discoveries in the past. Thus, the frequency doubling of coherent light in piezoelectric crystals, discovered in 1961, has added impetus to the already fast-growing laser field. The discovery of the amplification of sound in semiconductors, also made last year, has resulted in a rash of papers in this area.