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PHYSICS 49 LASER TECHNOLOGY & MODERN OPTICS
Fall 1998 Instructor: Jay Newman Office: Room N313, Science & Engineering Bldg. Research Lab: N008 Phone: x6506 Office Hours: Wednesday 3:00 - 4:00 ; Thursday 11:00 - 12:00 ; or by appointment Texts: "Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision, and Holography," By David Falk, Dieter Brill, and David Stork, Wiley (1986) "Understanding Lasers: An Entry-Level Guide," by Jeff Hecht, IEEE Press, New York, second edition (1994)
In this course we will first study an introduction to waves, light and optics, followed by some ideas about atoms and modern physics. This will take about three weeks or so, after which we will spend about three more weeks to learn the basic properties of lasers and how they work. The rest of the term will cover the various types of lasers and a survey of their applications in medicine, industry, science, entertainment, as well as the topics of fiber optics and holography.
There will be three associated laboratory experiences with the course on Tuesdays. Each will last about three hours and require a write-up of the experiments (format to be discussed). Please note that you are required to attend all three laboratory sessions! Also, I expect that you will attend all classes unless you are unwell.
The work load for the course will include readings from the text and other materials and a term paper. There will be two mid-term exams and a final exam. The exams will come at the break points in the topical material discussed above (end of fourth and seventh weeks). Your course grade will be determined according to: mid-term exams (20% each), paper (30%) and final (30%).
By the end of the sixth week of classes you should have already done some library ground-work for your paper and discussed your choice of topic with me. The papers will be due by the last day of classes.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
First Exam: Friday, October 2
Paper Topic Choice Deadline: Friday, October 16
Paper Due: Friday, November 13
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