Demonstrational Optics

Demonstrational Optics presents a new didactical approach to the study of optics. Emphasizing the importance of elaborate new experimental demonstrations, pictorial illustrations, computer simulations and models of optical phenomena in order to ensure a deeper understanding of the general and statistical optics. It includes problems focused on the pragmatic needs of students, secondary school teachers, university professors and optical engineers.

This volume aims to present improved teaching methods and practical explanations of optical phenomena. An important feature is the inclusion of elaborate pictorial approach to explaining optical phenomena in parallel to a general mathematical description. The modern approach developed here is also used to illustrate many basic phenomena, complimenting the existing literature.

The volume contains a valuable compendium of optical experiments for university, college and senior-school physics teachers. Experiments and modern computer simulations are described within the volume in sufficient detail to allow successful reproduction in a classroom or lecture theatre.

1. Historical Introduction.- 1 Wave nature of light.- 2 Electromagnetic theory.- 3 Optical Spectroscopy.- 4 Quantum Optics.- 5 Atom model and relativity.- 6 Coherence and precision optical instrumentation.- 7 Light correlation and statistics.- 2. Properties Of Light Waves.- 1 Laws of electromagnetism.- 1.1 Maxwell’s equations.- 1.2 Electric dipole radiation.- 2 Properties of electromagnetic waves.- 2.1 Wave equation.- 2.2 Plane waves.- 2.3 Plane monochromatic wave.- 2.3.1 Frequency, wavelength, light velocity.- 2.3.2 Transversality of electromagnetic waves.- 2.4 Spherical waves.- 2.5 Polarization states.- 3 Quasi-monochromatic waves.- 3.1 Envelope and carrier frequency.- 3.2 Spectrum of quasi-monochromatic oscillations.- 4 Energy and momentum of light.- 4.1 Intensity of light.- 4.2 The Doppler effect.- 4.3 Monochromaticity.- 4.4 Natural light.- 4.5 Light pressure.- 4.5.1 Radiation of a harmonic oscillator.- 4.5.2 Lorentz force.- 4.5.3 Evidence of light pressure.- 4.6 Photon representation.- 3. Light Polarization.- 1 Basic types of light wave polarization.- 1.1 Linearly and circularly polarized waves.- 1.2 Elliptically polarized waves.- 1.2.1 Polarizer and analyzer.- 2 Polarization of quasi-monochromatic light.- 2.1 Polarization degree.- 2.2 The Stokes parameters and Jones vectors.- 2.2.1 Description of a monochromatic wave.- 2.2.2 Measurements of the Stokes parameters.- 3 Optical dipole radiation and polarizing effects.- 3.1 Polarization under scattering.- 3.2 Polarization due to reflection.- 3.3 Dipole radiation at 3 ern wavelength.- 4. Light Waves In Media.- 1 Maxwell’s equations in isotropic media.- 1.1 Wave equations, the Poynting vector.- 1.2 Boundary conditions.- 2 Reflection and refraction.- 2.1 Snell’s law.- 2.1.1 Refraction by a prism.- 2.2 The total reflection.- 2.2.1 Surface wave (evanescent wave).- 2.2.2 Total reflection of radio waves.- 2.2.3 Optical fibers.- 2.2.4 Rainbow.- 3 The Fresnel formulae.- 3.1 Reflectivity and transparency.- 3.1.1 Normal incidence.- 3.2 The Brewster angle.- 3.2.1 Polarizing devices.- 4 Dispersion.- 4.1 Classical theory of dispersion.- 4.2 Observation of dispersion.- 4.2.1 Crosses prisms.- 4.2.2 The Wood experiment.- 4.3 A wave train in a medium.- 4.3.1 Group velocity.- 4.3.2 Energy transfer.- 4.3.3 The Rayleigh formula.- 4.3.4 A modeling computation experiment.- 5 Radiation under uniform charge motion.- 5.1 Vavilov-cherenkov radiation.- 5.2 Transient radiation.- 5.3 Smith-Parsell effect.- 5. Optical Anisotropy.- 1 Double refraction in calcite.- 2 The structure of calcite.- 3 A monochromatic wave in an anisotropic crystal.- 3.1 Propogation of the energy and the phase.- 3.2 Nicol and Wollaston prisms.- 3.3 A model of an uniaxial crystal.- 3.3.1 Vector E parallel to the faces of the plates.- 3.3.2 Propagation across optical axis.- 4 Natural optical anisotropy of materials.- 4.1 Retardation plates.- 4.1.1 Experiment with radio waves.- 4.1.2 Quarter-wave plates in optics.- 4.2 Liquid crystals.- 4.2.1 Optical anisotropy of a thin film of a liquid crystal.- 4.2.2 A liquid crystal prism.- 5 Artificial birefringence.- 5.1 Photo-elastic effect.- 5.2 The Kerr effect.- 5.3 An experiment to determine the light velocity.- 6 Optical activity.- 6.1 Natural quartz.- 6.2 The Fresnel experiment.- 6.3 Radio — wave rotation.- 6.4 The Faraday effect.- 6.5 Magnetic domains.- 6. Geometrical Optics.- 1 Homocentric and astigmatic beams.- 2 One refracting surface.- 2.1 Positive and negative optical force.- 2.2 Real and imaginary image.- 2.3 Magnification of a spherical refracting surface.- 2.4 A spherical reflecting surface.- 3 Centered optical systems.- 4 Lenses.- 4.1 General relations.- 4.2 Thick lenses.- 4.3 Thin lenses.- 4.4 Images formed by parallel rays.- 4.5 Two thin lenses.- 5 Errors of optical systems.- 6 Formation of optical images.- 6.1 Human eye.- 6.2 Magnifier.- 6.3 Telescopic system.- 6.3.1 Refracting telescope.- 6.3.2 Reflecting telescope.- 6.4 Microscope.- 6.5 Limitation of light beams in optical systems.- 7 Light propagation inside inhomogeneous media.- 7.1 Concept of eikonal.- 7.2 Light beam bending.- 7.2.1 Mirages.- 7.3 Fermat’s principle.