Instructor:  Cass Sackett     email:sackett@virginia.edu
Office:  Phys 155               Phone:   924-6795

Phys 531 Optics is intended to provide broad, intermediate-level coverage of the field of optics, establishing a solid foundation for further work or study.  This material is important for many disciplines, and we may have students from Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, Astronomy, or other departments, at both the graduate and undergraduate level.  It will help for everyone to be aware of the range of backgrounds present, and to ask questions about unfamiliar material when necessary.
 

Class Hours:  MWF 9:00 AM, in Physics 210
Office Hours:  Tuesday, Wednesday 3-4 PM, or by appointment
 

Webpage: http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/531.cas8m.fall03/
     Assignments and solution sets will be posted on the web page.
 

Text:  Saleh and Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics
     (The same text will be used for Phys 532 next semester.)

Supplemental texts:   (on reserve in Physics Library)
    Jenkins and White, Fundamentals of Optics (introductory level)*
          *on reserve list for Phys 221
    Hecht, Optics (intermediate level, good general reference)
    Lipson and Lipson, Optical Physics  (intermediate level)
    Klein and Furtak, Optics   (intermediate to advanced)
    Born and Wolf, Principles of Optics   (advanced, comprehensive)
    Goodman, Introduction to Fourier Optics (intermediate)
    Scully and Zubairy,  Quantum Optics (advanced)
 

Prerequisites:
    Some familiarity with introductory optics and electromagnetism is expected, at the typical level of an introductory electromagnetism course.  Facility with basic vector calculus and matrix operations is required.  Also, we will be using complex numbers and Fourier transform techniques.  These methods will be introduced in class, but students who have no previous exposure to them may have a little trouble at first.  If you are struggling with the math, don’t hesitate to let me know.  I can review the material with you at office hours, or we can schedule extra review sessions outside of class.
 

Topics:
Ray Optics – Optical elements, lens systems, matrix methods
Wave Optics – Wave equation, propagation, interference
Gaussian Beams – Optics of laser beams
Fourier Optics – Optical transfer function, diffraction
Electromagnetism – Maxwell equations, interactions of light and matter
Polarization – Interfaces, Jones matrices, anisotropic media
Statistical Optics – Random and partially coherent light, Wiener-Khinchin theorem
Photon Optics – Photons, statistical properties
 

Grading:
    Homework       50%
          Your lowest homework score will be dropped
     Midterm and final exam 50%
          Your better exam will be weighted 35%, and your worse one 15%

Exams:
     There will be a midterm and a final exam.  The midterm will be take-home, and will be held over the weekend of October 18-19.  The final will be open book, and held in class on Wednesday, Dec 10 from 2-5 PM.

Homework will be due weekly on Friday at the beginning of class.