Optics Fundamentals

Course guarantor:

Lecturer:

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering

Synopsis:

The course introduces students to the optical phenomena associated with the wave nature of light and explains the impact of these phenomena on the behavior of optical instruments. Shown are the practical application of interference, dispersion, thin film systems.

Requirements:

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Maxwell formulae. Scalar and vector waves, polarization.

2. Reflection and refraction at a boundary, boundary conditions.

3. Fresnel's formulae. Brewster angle, total interna reflection.

4. Propagation of light in metal. Dispersion of light, dispersion prism.

5. Interference of light, degree of mutual coherence. Shape and pitch of fringes.

6. Interferometres: types and applications.

7. Laser: optical resonator, modes, propagation of Gaussian beam. Laser rangefinder, anemometre.

8. Thin films: dielectric, metal. Reflectivity, transmisivity. Thin film systems.

9. Application of thin films: mirrors, filters, beam splitters.

10. Diffraction: Fraunhofer's, Fersnel's.

11. Doffraction at a pinhole, slit, grating.

12. Diffraction of light in optical instruments, resolving power.

13. Birifringency, polarizers, phase retarders.

Syllabus of tutorials:

Design basic multilayer systems. Analysis of some interferometrs. Laboratory tasks: measurements with interferometres.

Study Objective:

To understand patterns of wave optics, interference phenomena, dispersion and diffraction. Be able to apply this knowledge to design systems of thin layers, when measuring with interferometers and spectrometers and acquire measurement techniques for these devices.

Study materials:

Kenyon, I., R., The Light Fantastic: A Modern Introduction to Clasical and Quantum Optics. 1st ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 2008

Note:

Further information:

No time-table has been prepared for this course

The course is a part of the following study plans: