PHYS 402
Light
Credit: 0 to 4 hours.
Wave kinematics; geometrical optics: basic concepts, ray-tracing and matrix formalism, Gaussian imaging by thick lenses, stops, apertures, and intensity relations; interference; interference spectroscopy and coherence; diffraction: Fresnel-Kirchhoff formulation, Fraunhofer case, Fresnel case, and holography; polarized light. Lectures, laboratory, and problems. 4 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours (3 hours without lab). Prerequisite: MATH 285; PHYS 102 (includes PHYS 101) or PHYS 214 (includes PHYS 211 and PHYS 212).
Available spring 2010