Syllabus
* 1. Electromagnetic theory and light
A brief history of optics. Speed of light and its measurement. Maxwell's equations and their solution in free space, wave equation, plane and spherical waves. Plane harmonic wave as an elementary solution of Maxwell's equations and its characteristics: polarization, energy density, irradiance, radiation pressure and momentum. The propagation of light, diffraction and interference: Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, the single slit, the double slit, diffraction by many slits, optical grating, the rectangular aperture, the circular aperture. Characteristics of real radiation: the spectrum and spectral quantities, radiometric and photometric quantities and their spectral densities. Superposition of real waves and coherence, unpolarized and partly polarized light.
* 2. Elastic interaction of light and matter
The propagation of light through a dielectric medium. Maxwell's equations and their solution in homogeneous isotropic medium, dynamic permitivity. Index of refraction and its dispersion, dispersing prisms, rainbow. Propagation through the optical boundary: the laws of reflection and refraction, total reflection. Fresnel equations, Reflectance and transmittance versus incident angle. Parallel films, amplitude splitting interferometers. Geometrical optics: properties of collinear transformation. Rectilinear propagation of light, light rays, reflection and refraction at spherical surfaces. Centered optical systems, lenses. The human eye and other optical systems. Aberrations. Light in anisotropic media, birefringence: uniaxial and biaxial crystals, birefringent polarizers, waveplates. Optical activity, induced optical effects. Propagation of light in inhomogeneous medium, elastic light scattering.
* 3. Resonant interaction of light and matter
Thermal radiation, Planck's law and quantum hypothesis. The photoelectric effect, photons. Particles and waves. Single photon transitions, absorption, stimulated and spontaneous emission. Population inversion, the laser: configuration and properties. A survey of laser developments. Introduction to optical spectroscopy. Absorbing media, the Lambert-Beer's law. Luminescence, excited states and nonradiative energy dissipation.
Annotation
Geometrical and wave optics for teaching study programs (Mathematics/Physics and Physics/Computer Science).