Fundamentals and Applications of Modern Optical Imaging

3 units

Analysis, design, and application of modern optical imaging systems with emphasis on biological imaging. First part of course will focus on the physical principles underlying the operation of imaging systems and their mathematical models. Topics include ray optics (speed of light, refractive index, laws of reflection and refraction, plane surfaces, mirrors, lenses, aberrations), wave optics (amplitude and intensity, frequency and wavelength, superposition and interference, interferometry), Fourier optics (space-invariant linear systems, Huygens-Fresnel principle, angular spectrum, Fresnel diffraction, Fraunhofer diffraction, frequency analysis of imaging systems), and light-matter interaction (absorption, scattering, dispersion, fluorescence). Second part of course will compare modern quantitative imaging technologies including, but not limited to, digital holography, computational imaging, and super-resolution microscopy. Students will evaluate and critique recent optical imaging literature.