PHYS 296 Physical Optics- Syllabus
W124 Discovery Hall (STEM Complex)
Madalina.Furis@uvm.edu 656.5177
office hours: Tuesday 11am-12pm, Friday 10am-11am.
The course will cover several optics phenomena with an emphasis on the electromagnetic nature of light, polarization, interference, diffraction and Fourier optics and the quantum nature of light. The course will end with modern topics such as ultrafast lasers, light emitting diodes detectors and nonlinear optics. A review of geometrical optics with an introduction to Jones matrices is included. The course material will be covered in traditional lecture format as well as laboratory demonstrations and hands-on activities. (prereqs Phys 128, Math 121).
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:50 pm in L307 Lafayette Hall
Textbook: The Light Fantastic: A Modern Introduction to Classical and Quantum Optics, by I. R. Kenyon second edition ISBN-13: 978-0199584604 Additional helpful materials and books will be recommended and distributed throughout the semester
Photons and the Electromagnetic Theory, Propagation of light, Polarization of Light, Interference and Diffraction, Interaction of Light with Matter, Lasers, Light Detectors, and Light Emitting Diodes
Grades in this course will be assigned as follows:
40% Homework
Homework problems will be handed out every Monday and will be collected one week later (the following Monday) The homework will cover material discussed in class during that week.
To get full credit for the homework you need to show understanding of the physical concepts, as well as knowledge of problem solving techniques.
Limit your collaboration with fellow students to general procedures about strategies for solving a problem, rather than the solution itself.
30% Exams
There will be two exams. These exams will be scheduled out of class during the semester.
20% Final Exam
The final exam for this class is scheduled for Thursday, December 14th
at 10:30 am.
10% Class Participation
The students are expected to read the material before coming to class. Participation to in-class experiments/demonstrations will count as credit. Part of the homework will be directly linked to the in-class activities.