Description:

The course introduces students to the optical phenomena associated with the wave nature of light and explains the impact of these phenomena on the behavior of optical instruments. Shows the practical applications of interference, dispersion, thin film systems.

Contents:

1. Maxwell formulae. Scalar and vector waves, polarization.
2. Reflection and refraction at a boundary, boundary conditions.
3. Fresnel's formulae. Brewster angle, total internal reflection.
4. Propagation of light in metal. Dispersion of light, dispersion prisms.
5. Interference of light, degree of mutual coherence. Shape and pitch of fringes.
6. Interferometers: types and applications.
7. Laser: optical resonator, modes, propagation of Gaussian beam.
8. Thin films: dielectric, metal. Reflectivity, transmisivity. Thin film systems.
9. Application of thin films: mirrors, filters, beam splitters.
10. Diffraction at a pinhole, slit, grating.
11. Spectrometers.
12. Diffraction of light in optical instruments, resolving power.
13. Birifringency, polarizers, phase retarders.

Seminar contents:

Design of basic multilayer systems. Analysis of some interferometers. Laboratory tasks: measurements with interferometers.

Recommended literature:

Z.Knittl: Optics of Thin Films,1976,John Wiley and Sons, N.Y.
M. Born, E. Wolf: Principles of Optics
http://control.fs.cvut.cz/en/courses/wave-optics-e361021

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar