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 11	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
2	Thu, Sep 13	One-Dimensional Waves Wave Equation Harmonic Waves Phase Velocity Superposition Phasor Addition Plane Waves, Spherical Waves, Cylindrical Waves		Chapter 2	Slides
3	Tue, Sep 18	Maxwell's Equations Electromagnetic Waves		Sections 3.1, 3.2	Slides
4	Thu, Sep 20	Poynting Vector Irradiance Photons Radiation Pressure and Momentum Synchrotron Radiation Electric Dipole Radiation Emission	Problem Set 1 - due before class	Sections 3.3, 3.4	Slides
5	Tue, Sep 25	Index of Refraction Dispersion The Electromagnetic Spectrum		Sections 3.5-3.6 (skip 3.7)	Slides
6	Thu, Sep 27	Rayleigh Scattering Transmission of Light through a Medium Reflection		Sections 4.1-4.3	Slides
7	Tue, Oct 2	Refraction Huygen's Principle Fermat's Principle The Fresnel Equations Reflectance and Transmittance		Sections 4.4-4.6	Slides
8	Thu, Oct 4	Total Internal Reflection Evanescent Waves Waves in a Metal Colour Stokes Relations	Problem Set 2 - due before class	Sections 4.7-4.10 (skip 4.11)	Slides Excel Spreadsheet
Test 1	Tue, Oct 9	Chs. 2-4	PDF Solutions
9	Thu, Oct 11	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
10	Tue, Oct 16	Aperture Stops Entrance and Exit Pupils f-Number Plane Mirrors Curved Mirrors		Sections 5.3, 5.4	Slides Video of Concave Mirror demo
11	Thu, Oct 18	Dispersing Prisms Reflection by Prisms Fiberoptics		Sections 5.5, 5.6	Slides
12	Tue, Oct 23	The Human Eye Corrective Lenses Magnifying Glass Microscope Camera	Problem Set 3 - due before class	Section 5.7 through 5.7.6	Slides
13	Thu, Oct 25	Refracting and Reflecting Telescopes Wavefront Shaping Gravitational Lensing		Sub-section 5.7.7, Sections 5.8, 5.9	Slides
14	Tue, Oct. 30	Superposition of Harmonic Waves Standing Waves Blackbody Radiation		Section 7.1 Sub-section 13.1.1	Slides
15	Thu, Nov 1	Lasers Einstein A and B Coefficients Stimulated Emission Optical Resonant Cavities	Problem Set 4 - due before class	Section 13.1	Slides
Test 2	Tue, Nov 6	Ch. 5, Sections 7.1, 13.1	PDF Solutions
16	Thu, Nov 8	Linear, Circular, Elliptical Polarization Polarizers Dichroism Birefringence		Section 8.1 through 8.4	Slides
17	Thu, Nov 15	Polarization by Scattering Polarization by Reflection, Brewster's Law Wave Plates Circular Polarizers Polarization of Polychromatic Light		Section 8.5 through 8.9	Slides
18	Tue, Nov 20	Optical Activity Photoelasticity Faraday Rotation Kerr and Pockels Effects Liquid Crystals Stokes Parameters Jones Matrices		Section 8.10 through 8.13	Slides
19	Thu, Nov 22	Interference Interference of Polarized light Young's Double Slit Experiment	Problem Set 5 - due before class	Sections 9.1 through 9.3	Slides
20	Tue, Nov 27	Diffraction Huygens-Fresnel Principle Near-field vs. Far-field diffraction		Section 10.1	Slides
21	Thu, Nov 29	Fraunhofer Diffraction The Single Slit, far-field limit Two wide slits Diffraction by Many Slits The Rectangular Aperture		Sub-section 10.2.1 through 10.2.4	Slides Excel Spreadsheet
22	Tue, Dec 4	Circular Apertures, Airy disk Resolution of Imaging Systems Bessel Functions Diffraction Gratings	Problem Set 6 - due before class	Sub-section 10.2.5 through 10.2.8 (up to the end of Section 10.2)	Slides Excel Spreadsheet
Exam	Dec. 10-21 TBA	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