Syllabus for Waves and Optics

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• account for fundamental quantities for waves and optics.
• identify, illustrate and explain physical concepts in waves and optics.
• describe and discuss technical applications of simple optical instruments.
• solve problems using suitable models, assumptions and approximations as well as be able to assess the results.
• plan and conduct simple experiments and give an oral and a written presentation of the results.

Content

Mechanical/acoustical waves: wave functions, the wave equation, superposition, standing waves, beats, mechanical waves in different media, Doppler effect.

Electromagnetic waves and optics: Maxwell's equations, wave functions for plane waves, wave equations for E- and B-fields for propagating waves. The propagation of electromagnetic waves with reflection, refraction, dispersion, and phase velocity.

Optical phenomena such as polarisation, birefringence, coherence, interference and Fraunhofer diffraction. Examples of radiation sources and the interaction between radiation and the Earth's atmosphere.

Geometrical optics: Reflection in spherical surfaces, calculations of beam paths in thin lenses. Overview of optical instruments.

Laboratory exercises in polarisation, wave optics and ray optics.

Instruction

Lectures, exercise groups, laboratory exercises (attendance is mandatory), and project assignments. The course makes use of subject integrated communication training with feedback and self evaluation.

Assessment

Written examination at the end of the course (4 credits ). Laboratory exercises with written and oral reports (1 credit).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.