The goal of this course is for students to learn how light works. We will discuss how we perceive light - the eye, depth perception, and color. We will examine the wave nature of light, which limits the size of objects we can see. Introductory Research in Optical Physics Students design and build their own experiments using a modular type of optical research kit. Experiments cover basic research methods in instrument design, laser physics Fourier optics, holography, spectroscopy, and interferometry.
Students learn how to plan major projects and evaluate critically the significance of the results.
Course concludes with a four-week major project. Optics Basic electromagnetic theory of light, using Maxwell's equations. Spectra, including Zeeman effect and flourescence. Optics, Hecht, Addison-Wesley. This course will cover some common methods and components used at both RF and Optical frequencies.