PHY385: Introductory Optics

PHY385 Optics - Class and Homework Schedule

Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:10 to 2:00 PM in MP134. Below is an approximate schedule and list of reading assignments, subject to change.

Chapters 1-5 and 8
Sections 7.1, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 10.1, 10.2 and 13.1

Schedule subject to change.

Class	Date	Topics	Homework	*Required Reading, to do before* class**	More
1	Tue, Sep 13	Introduction to Course Brief History of Light Wave Motion	Problem Set 0 - fun exercise to be handed in this semester some time	Chapter 1	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
2	Thu, Sep 15	One-Dimensional Waves Wave Equation Harmonic Waves Phase Velocity Superposition Phasor Addition Plane Waves, Spherical Waves, Cylindrical Waves		Chapter 2	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
3	Tue, Sep 20	Maxwell's Equations Electromagnetic Waves		Sections 3.1, 3.2	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
4	Thu, Sep 22	Poynting Vector Irradiance Photons Radiation Pressure and Momentum Synchrotron Radiation Electric Dipole Radiation Emission	Problem Set 1 is due at 1:10pm	Sections 3.3, 3.4	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
5	Tue, Sep 27	Index of Refraction Dispersion The Electromagnetic Spectrum		Sections 3.5-3.6 (skip 3.7)	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
6	Thu, Sep 29	Rayleigh Scattering Transmission of Light through a Medium Reflection		Sections 4.1-4.3	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
7	Tue, Oct 4	Refraction Huygen's Principle Fermat's Principle The Fresnel Equations Reflectance and Transmittance		Sections 4.4-4.6	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
8	Thu, Oct 6	Total Internal Reflection Evanescent Waves Waves in a Metal Colour Stokes Relations	Problem Set 2 is due at 1:10pm	Sections 4.7-4.10 (skip 4.11)	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
Test 1	Tue, Oct 11	Chs. 1-4
9	Thu, Oct 13	Geometrical Optics Introduction Refraction at a Curved Surface Thin Lens Equation Focal Point, Focal Plane Images, Magnification Lenses in Combination		Sections 5.1, 5.2	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
10	Tue, Oct 18	Aperture Stops Entrance and Exit Pupils f-Number Plane Mirrors Curved Mirrors		Sections 5.3, 5.4	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
11	Thu, Oct 20	Dispersing Prisms Reflection by Prisms Fiberoptics		Sections 5.5, 5.6	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
12	Tue, Oct 25	The Human Eye Corrective Lenses Magnifying Glass Microscope Camera	Problem Set 3 is due at 1:10pm	Section 5.7 through 5.7.6	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
13	Thu, Oct 27	Refracting and Reflecting Telescopes Wavefront Shaping Gravitational Lensing		Sub-section 5.7.7, Sections 5.8, 5.9	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
14	Tue, Nov. 1	Superposition of Harmonic Waves Standing Waves Blackbody Radiation		Section 7.1 Sub-section 13.1.1	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
15	Thu, Nov 3	Lasers Einstein A and B Coefficients Stimulated Emission Optical Resonant Cavities	Problem Set 4 is due at 1:10pm	Section 13.1	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
Test 2	Thu, Nov 10	Ch. 5, Sections 7.1, 13.1
16	Tue, Nov 15	Linear, Circular, Elliptical Polarization Polarizers Dichroism Birefringence		Section 8.1 through 8.4	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
17	Thu, Nov 17	Polarization by Scattering Polarization by Reflection, Brewster's Law Wave Plates Circular Polarizers Polarization of Polychromatic Light		Section 8.5 through 8.9	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
18	Tue, Nov 22	Optical Activity Photoelasticity Faraday Rotation Kerr and Pockels Effects Liquid Crystals Stokes Parameters Jones Matrices		Section 8.10 through 8.13	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
19	Thu, Nov 24	Interference Interference of Polarized light Young's Double Slit Experiment	Problem Set 5 is due at 1:10pm	Sections 9.1 through 9.3	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
20	Tue, Nov 29	Diffraction Huygens-Fresnel Principle Near-field vs. Far-field diffraction		Section 10.1	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
21	Thu, Dec 1	Fraunhofer Diffraction The Single Slit, far-field limit Two wide slits Diffraction by Many Slits The Rectangular Aperture	Two Excel Spreadsheets shown in class: Double Slit Diffraction Grating	Sub-section 10.2.1 through 10.2.4	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
22	Tue, Dec 6	Circular Apertures, Airy disk Resolution of Imaging Systems Bessel Functions Diffraction Gratings	Problem Set 6 is due at 1:10pm	Sub-section 10.2.5 through 10.2.8 (up to the end of Section 10.2)	Slides for Display Slides for printing (6 per page)
Exam	Tue, Dec. 13, 9:00am in SS1074	The 2 hour final exam covers the entire course, including all of the assigned reading and homework plus practicals materials and what was discussed in class.		All of the above