EECS 334: Principles of Optics

Instructor: Professor Stephen C. Rand

Coverage
This course provides a simple introduction to the basic principles of optics and applies them to a very wide range of devices from cameras to holograms and lasers.

Additional Information
The discussions in this course provide a wealth of additional video material on examples and applications of basic optics to photonics and the world around us.

Textbook(s)
Pedrotti, Frank L, Leno M Pedrotti, and Leno S Pedrotti. Introduction to Optics (3rd Edition). 3 ed. San Fransisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2006.

Syllabus
1. The Nature of Light – waves and photons Number of lectures: 2

2. Geometric Optics – image formation, magnification, stops, prisms, mirrors, thin lenses, the human eye, fiber waveguides. Blind spot, cactus guides, telescopes, microscopes, cameras. Number of lectures: 6

3. Propagation – Energy, momentum, absorption, and dispersion of light. Demos of prismatic and photo-electric effects, color filters, reflection and refraction at boundaries, total internal reflection, TV rock (optical fibers), quasi-phase conjugation by reflection. Group velocity, wavepackets, bandwidth, ultrashort pulses, slow light. Applications to precision measurements in machines, buildings, geology, the cosmos. Number of lectures: 11

4. Polarization: Fresnel equations, polarizers, birefringence, scattering, optical activity, Faraday rotation. Applications to DNA analysis, photonic devices, displays, quantum cryptography. Demo beam-splitter cube, calcite double refraction (orthogonal eigenmodes), circular birefringence. Number of lectures: 3

5. Interference and Coherence: interference with multiple beams, thin films, interferometers. Demo multiple slits, Fabry-Perot, Moire patterns and semi-conductor wafer characterization. Coherence time, coherence length, stellar interferometry. Number of lectures: 9

6. Lasers: energy quantization, stimulated emission, and basic principles Number of lectures: 4

7. Diffraction – Fraunhofer & Fresnel zones, zone plates, diffraction gratings, resolving power. Demos of 2-D Fourier transforms (various apertures, including variable), holography, optical image processing, focusing with a zone plate, Babinet’s Principle with an optical fiber. Number of lectures: 4