Optics

(2,3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Principles and practical aspects of laser operation and applications in modern optics. Propagation of plane electromagnetic waves. Diffraction and interference of light. Gaussian beam propagation and optical resonators. Theory of laser oscillation. Gas, solid, semiconductor, and dye lasers. Detectors of optical radiation. Nonlinear optics. Applications in research and industry. Laboratory exercises include polarization, interference, Fourier optics, holography, gas, diode and turnable lasers, and harmonic generation. A course primarily intended for physics majors.