Physics (1)485F
Modern Optics
(last updated 10 December 99)
Lecturer:
Aephraim M. Steinberg
(rm 1103, tel 978-0713, aephraim@physics.utoronto.ca)
Office hours: Monday 3-4 and Thursday 11-12
Lectures:
Tuesday and Thursday 3-4 in MP 1115
(NOTE CHANGE OF ROOM)
Overview |
Grading |
Syllabus |
Announcements |
Readings |
Problem Sets
Optics is both one of the oldest and one of the most current fields
of physics. It is an arena in which some of the most fundamental
studies of quantum theory have become possible; a set of tools
which are indispensable in research from atomic physics to biochemistry
to astronomy; and the basis for a broad range of technological
developments from laser machining to fibre-optic communications
and laser surgery.
This course assumes an undergraduate-level understanding of classical
optics, along with a strong background in quantum mechanics. We will proceed
from a semiclassical approach to light-matter interactions to understand
the central features of laser theory and design.
We will also discuss certain applications of coherent light,
specifically in "modern" areas of optics which are related to
the quantum nature of light-- for instance, quantum noise reduction,
laser cooling, the EPR "paradox," et cetera. We will try to keep
an experimentalist's perspective throughout.
Emphasis will be on presenting an overview of a broad range of topics,
to provide students with a familiarity with the field(s) of quantum
optics as a whole. More rigorous aspects of some of our topics are
treated in later courses.
Required text:
M&E = Milonni & Eberly, Lasers, Wiley 1988.
(in addition to semiclassical laser theory and a chapter on
specific laser systems, this includes a nice smattering
of nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and applications ranging
from laser gyros to optical communications.)
Supplementary texts:
A&E = Optical Resonance and Two-Level Atoms , L. Allen and J. H.
Eberly, Dover 1987, about $10
(an extremely readable account of coherent interactions between
light and model atoms)
Y = Quantum Electronics 2nd edition, Amnon Yariv,
Wiley 1988, about $30
(a standard text on lasers, nonlinear optics, et cetera)
S = Lasers, Anthony Siegman, Univ Science Books 1988,
about $115
(half as long as Das Kapital, and only twice as entertaining...
the Bible of laser physics)
D = Laser Spectroscopy, Wolfgang Demtröder, Springer-Verlag
(a terse but wonderfully broad-based book about lasers and
their applications)
CT1 = Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu, & Laloë, Quantum Mechanics
H = W. Heitler, The Quantum Theory of Radiation, Dover 1984
Drake = G.W.F. Drake, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics
Handbook, AIP Press, 1996.
W&M = Walls & Milburn, Quantum Optics
M&S= Meystre & Sargent, Elements of Quantum Optics
Glauber = "Optical Coherence and Photon Statistics," in Quantum Optics and Electronics,
1964 Les Houches lectures, DeWitt, Blandin, & Cohen-Tannoudji, eds.
CT2 = Cohen-Tannoudji, Dupont-Roc, and Grynberg, Atom-Photon Interactions, Wiley 1992.
Problem sets will account for 20% of the grade.
There will be about five homework assignments over the course of the semester.
The assignments will be due about a week and a half from the day they are given out.
Late work will be penalized by 20%, but a single assignment one lecture late will be
overlooked.
Solution sets will be distributed, typically one week after the
assignment's due date. Under no circumstances will homework
be accepted after the solution set has been handed out.
There will be a midterm, accounting for 20% of the grade.
If you have been keeping up with the problem sets, the midterm
should not present a problem, but it will give you an opportunity
to review a number of topics and develop a more coherent perspective.
The course will culminate in a one-day "mini-conference" one weekend towards
the end of term, where
each student will be expected to prepare a short (c. 30 min.) oral
report on a topic of current research interest.
Last year's conference is described
here.
The topics must be approved by me ahead of time. The conference
grade (including your presentation, handling of questions, and
participation in the discussion of the other presentations)
will account for 30% of the course grade.
The schedule for the 1999 Optics Mini-Workshop is now available on the web.
The final exam will make up 30% of the grade.
The problem sets will be handed out and collected in class.
You will also be able get them from this web page using
Acrobat Reader.
;
otherwise, you can read the LaTeX source files.
In addition to the semiclassical theory of the laser, some of this
course will be spent discussing truly modern phenomena which involve
a real quantum description of light itself. Towards the end of the
semester, depending on the time which is left and interest shown by
the class, several special topics will be treated, dealing with
experiments of recent research interest.
The course is divided roughly into 8 units, each 3-4 lectures in
duration.
| UNIT |
LECTURES |
| 1 |
Absorption, polarizability, and gain:
the Lorentz model, and Einstein's A and B coefficients |
| 2 |
Quantum treatments of light-matter interaction
|
| 3 |
Rate equations and the basic principles of the laser.
|
| 4 |
Gaussian beams, laser cavities and cavity modes;
Types of lasers |
| 5 |
Laser linewidth and modulation techniques;
Pulsed lasers
|
| 6 |
Atoms in laser light
|
| 7 |
The quantum theory of light;
applications to nonlinear optics
|
| 8 |
Current topics (e.g. fibre optics, solitons, electromagnetically-induced
transparency, quantum cryptography & teleportation).
|
From time to time, announcements may be posted on this web page.
Suggested readings will be listed here and are likely to be
updated as we progress through the course.
The schedule for the 1999 Optics Mini-Workshop is now available on the web.
It is recommended that you read the relevant sections in the
main text. If you want a different perspective, or need to
review a topic you are not sufficiently familiar with, look
at the supplementary texts.
Note that not all topics are covered in any one of these texts,
and we will not be following even the required text directly.
Use your best judgment or ask for advice!
In the following outline, you can find the relevant sections
from the required text for the units listed in the syllabus
above. Following that outline, I will add suggestions for further
readings from other sources.
Rough outline of readings from Milonni and Eberly
| UNIT |
Readings in Milonni & Eberly |
| Intro |
Ch. 1 |
| 1 |
Sects. 2.1-3; 3.1-8; 7.6,7.A
|
| 2 |
Ch. 6, 8.2 (& 9)
|
| 3 |
Ch. 7; 10
|
|
| 4 |
Ch. 14; 13
|
| 5 |
Ch. 11; 12
|
| 6 |
N/A
|
|
| 7 |
N/A; chs. 17-18
|
| 8 |
N/A
|
Supplementary recommended readings
Reviews and previews...
"Review" of quantization of the electromagnetic field: Y sect. 5.6;
H pp 54-59 (and 38-42)
A preview of coherent states, squeezing, etc.: D sect. 14.8.1; Y sect. 5.8 ;
A&E sect's 7.1-2
A review of the quantum harmonic oscillator, with a discussion of
coherent states: CT1 ch. V (and complement G_V)
Review of the Heisenberg picture: Y sec. 3.7
Review of perturbation theory: CT1 pp. 1285-1301; Y sect's 3.11-12
Reading on light-matter interaction (first 4 lectures)...
A & B coefficients, Lorentzian lines, Rabi flopping, saturation:
D sect's 2.1-3 ; 2.6.2,3,5,6 ; 3.1-2 ; 3.6.1-2
A&E sect's 1.1-4 ; 2.1-3
Optical Bloch Equations
M&E sect's 6.5 (again), 8.2
A&E ch. 2, 3.1-4
Dressed-atom approach:
CT2 pp.407-418; 454-457; Complement A-VI.
Line broadening
M&E sect's 3.9-13
D ch. 3 (recommended)
General reference on the various approaches to light-matter interaction:
``Light-Matter Interaction,'' Pierre Meystre, ch. 66 in the AIP Atomic,
Molecular, and Optical Physics Handbook, G.W.F. Drake ed., AIP Press, 1996. (To be handed out in class.)
Problem set 1 assigned 23 Sep '99, due 5 Oct '99 .
Available in latex: hw1.485.99.tex
or as Adobe pdf: hw1.pdf.
Solution set 1 available in latex: soln1.99.tex
or as Adobe pdf: soln1.99.pdf.
Problem set 2 assigned 7 Oct '99, due 19 Oct '99 .
Available in latex: hw2.485.99.tex
or as Adobe pdf: hw2.pdf
.
Solution set 2 available in latex: soln2.99.tex
or as Adobe pdf: soln2.99.pdf.
Problem set 3 assigned 17 Nov '99 due 25 Nov '99 .
Available in latex:
hw3.485.99.tex
or as Adobe pdf:
hw48599.3.pdf.
Problem set 4 assigned 30 Nov '99; due WITHOUT EXCEPTION by noon
on 10 Dec '99.
Available in latex:
hw4.485.99
.tex
or as Adobe pdf:
hw4.485.99.pdf.
pdf.
Solution set 4 available in latex: soln485_4.tex
or as Adobe pdf: soln485_4.pdf.
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