Physics 385 Course Schedule Fall 2020

Wk Date Day Hmwk Lec # Chptr Description
   
  I.  Light, Geometrical and Physical Optics
  31-Aug Mon        
1 2-Sep Wed   1 1 Introduction to the course, EM Waves, wave/particle duality
  3-Sep Thu   2 3.2 Waves, complex representation, plane waves
  7-Sep Mon       Labor Day
2 9-Sep Wed   3 2.5 Fresnel equations at normal incidence
  10-Sep Thu   4 4.6 Oblique Fresnel equations, four consequences
  14-Sep Mon 5 5.2 Brewster angle, total internal reflection
3 16-Sep Wed Set 1 6 5.2 Huygens principle, spherical refraction, lensmaker’s formula
  17-Sep Thu   7 5.2 Fermat's principle, thin lenses, Gaussian and Newtonian 
  21-Sep Mon 8 5.4 More thin lens ray tracing examples, multiple lenses
4 23-Sep Wed Set 2 9 5.2 plane mirrors, curved mirrors, magnifying glass
  24-Sep Thu   10 6.3 Microscopes
  28-Sep Mon 11 6.3 Principal planes,  binoculars
5 30-Sep Wed Set 3 12 6.3 Telescopes
   
  II.  Interference and Diffraction
  1-Oct Thu   13 7.1 Superposition: algebra, complex representation, phasors
  5-Oct Mon Set 4 14 7.1 Standing waves, wedge fringes, beats
6 7-Oct Wed   15   Review for exam
  8-Oct Thu       EXAM I:  Topics in chapters 2-6
  12-Oct Mon 16 7.2 Dispersion, group velocity, Fourier analysis intro
7 14-Oct Wed   17 7.4 Fourier analysis
  15-Oct Thu Set 5 18 --- More Fourier analysis, bandwidth, coherence length
  19-Oct Mon 19 9.3 Young's two-source interference
8 21-Oct Wed   20 10.2 Single-slit (Fraunhofer) diffraction
  22-Oct Thu   21 10.2 Circular aperture, angular resolution
  26-Oct Mon Set 6 22 13.3 Diffraction gratings, holography
9 28-Oct Wed   23 9.4 Thin film interference, Michelson interferometer
  29-Oct Thu   24 --- to be determined
   
  III. Polarization, lasers, radiometry
  2-Nov Mon Set 7 25 8.2 Polarization states, production of polarized light
10 4-Nov Wed 26 Review for exam
  5-Nov Thu       EXAM II: Topics in chapters 7, 9, 10, 13
  9-Nov Mon 27 8.3 Three methods of polarization, Malus’s law
11 11-Nov Wed   28 8.4 Dichroism, optical activity, LCD screens
  12-Nov Thu   29 13.1 Birefringence, wave plates, Babinet compensator
  16-Nov Mon Set 8 30 other Laser fundamentals, types of lasers
12 18-Nov Wed   31 other Introduction to radiometry
  19-Nov Thu   32 other Irradiance, illuminance, etendue, f number
  23-Nov Mon Set 9 33 --- Absorption spectroscopy, light sources, light detectors
   
  IV.  Other Topics in Optics
13 25-Nov Wed 34 13.2 Fourier optics, convolution theorem,  image processing
  26-Nov Thu       Thanksgiving Break - no class
  30-Nov Mon Set 10 35 13.4 Nonlinear optics
14 2-Dec Wed   36   Review for exam
  3-Dec Thu       EXAM III: Topics in chapters 8, 13
  7-Dec Mon 37 other Atmospheric optical effects (slideshow)
15 9-Dec Wed   38 other Photonic materials, additional review
  10-Dec Thu Set 11     Review for exam
16 14-Dec Mon       FINAL EXAM:  HW set 11 and comprehensive  10:15 AM