Fundamentals of Classical Optics and Electrodynamics

Course guarantor:

Ivan Richter

Lecturer:

Pavel Kwiecien, Ivan Richter, Milan Šiňor

Tutor:

Pavel Kwiecien, Ivan Richter, Milan Šiňor

Supervisor:

Department of Laser Physics and Photonics

Synopsis:

The lecture is focused on the basics of classical optics and electrodynamics, which is important especially in relation to quantum optical theory. The lecture deals with electromagnetic theory, physical optics, material aspects of optical phenomena, introduction to geometrical optics, and fundamentals of nonlinear optics, including dispersion theory of linear and nonlinear response in optical media, including anisotropic ones. Attention is also given to beam optics. Further, it focuses on the implications of statistical properties of light, explains the basics of diffraction theory and holography. It explains the relation between wave optics and ray optics, describes light propagation in term of rays, and outlines the fundamentals of instrumental optics. It also includes the basics of guided waves and resonators - the theory of guided waves in waveguides and optical fibers, waveguide modes and waveguide dispersion, reciprocity theorem and optical resonator theory.

Requirements:

Basic courses in electromagnetic field theory and optics.

End-of-semester credit test, oral exam.

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Wave equation, Maxwell's equations and propagation of optical plane wave in vacuum; elementary electromagnetic waves, paraxial waves. Vacuum admittance, wave energy in vacuum

2. Propagation of electromagnetic waves in dielectric media, polarization vector; optical admitance, propagation of waves in dispersive and nonlinear optical media

3. Boundary conditions at the interface between two homogeneous media; Brewsters angle, total internal reflection

4. Beam optics - description, properties, classification, parabolic wave equation, Gaussian beam

5. Polarization, electromagnetic propagation in anisotropic media, polarization devices, crystal optics

6. Polychromatic light, interference equation, basics of statistical optics and second order coherence, interferometric visibility

7. Optical interference two, multi-wave interference, optical interferometers

8. Scalar theory of diffraction, Fresnel and Fourier integrals, near- and far-field approximation, graphical solution, holography and diffractive optics

9. Propagation of electromagnetic waves in non-homogeneous media - ray equation, eikonal equation, basic postulates of ray optics

10. Geometrical optics, ideal imaging system, optical power, optical aberration, basic optical devices - magnifying glass, eyepiece, microscope, telescope

11. Waveguides and optical fibers - propagation of optical waves in waveguides and optical fibers, guided, radiated, and evanescent waveguide modes, waveguide dispersions

12. Reciprocity theorem, hollow and open resonators, stability diagram, guided resonator modes

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Study materials:

Key references:

[1] Electronic texts and materials stored in Microsoft Teams

Recommended references:

[2] Hecht E.: Optics, 5th edition, Pearson Press, 2017

[3] Griffiths D.: Introduction to Electrodynamics, 4th edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017

[4] B. E. A. Saleh, M. C. Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics, 3. vydání, John Wiley & Sons, 1919.

[5] S. A. Maier, Plasmonics: fundamentals and applications, Springer Science + Business Media LLC, 2007.

[7] R. W. Boyd, Nonlinear Optics, Academic Press, London, 4th edition, 2020.

[6] G. Lifante, Integrated Photonics: Fundamentals, Wiley, 2003.

[7] J. D. Love. A. W. Snyder, Optical Waveguide Theory, Chapman and Hall, 1983.

[8] K. Okamoto, Fundamentals of optical waveguides, Academic press, 2006.

[9] J. D. Joannopoulos, R. D. Meade, J. N. Winn, Photonic Crystals: Molding the Flow of Light. Princeton University Press, 2008.

[10] C. F. Bohren, D. R. Huffman, Absorption and scattering of light by small particles, Wiley-VCH, 2004.

[11] W. Cai, V. Shalaev, Optical Metamaterials Fundamentals and Applications, Springer-Verlag, 2010.

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2025/2026:

Time-table is not available yet

Time-table for summer semester 2025/2026:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Quantum Technologies (compulsory course in the program)