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Phys 322
Optics
Lecture 1
Historical introduction
Optics in
Ancient History
A mirror was discovered
in workers' quarters near
the tomb of Pharaoh
Sesostris II (1900 BCE).
Pyramid of Sesostris II
(also known as
Senusret II)
Two of Galileos
telescopes
Galileos drawings of the
moon
Willibrord Snell
Willibrord Snell discovered the
Law of Refraction, now named
after him.
n1
n2
Willibrord Snell
(1591-1626)
n1 sin(1 ) n2 sin( 2 )
17th-century Optics
Descartes reasoned that light
must be like sound. So he
modeled light as pressure
variations in a medium
(aether).
Rene Descartes (1596-1659)
Christiaan Huygens
Huygens extended the wave theory of
optics.
He realized that light slowed down on
entering dense media.
He explained polarization and
double refraction.
Double refraction
Christiaan Huygens
(1629-1695)
Huygens principle
says that a wave
propagates as if
the wave-front were
composed of an array of point sources
each emitting a
spherical wave.
Isaac Newton
"I procured me a triangular glass prism
to try therewith the celebrated
phenomena of colours." (Newton,
1665)
Isaac Newton
(1642-1727)
Particles
Isaac Newton
1643 1727
or
waves?
Christiaan Huygens
1629 1695
18th century
19th century
1801: interference, Thomas Young
famous double-slit experiment
color in thin films
diffraction of light
diffraction grating:
"These colors may be easily seen, in an irregular form, by looking at any
metal, coarsely polished, in the sunshine; but they become more distinct and
conspicuous, when a number of fine lines of equal strength are drawn
parallel to each other, so as to conspire in their effects."
E 0
B 0
B
E
t
1 E
B 2
c t
James Clerk
Maxwell (18311879)
Maxwells equations
E E A
B B A 0
B
E E||l
t
E
B||l 0 I 0 t
EM wave transmitter
1857 - 1894
EM wave receiver
Albert
Edward
Michelson
Morley
(1852-1931) (1838-1923)
20th century
Difficulties:
Wave theory cannot explain:
- black body radiation spectrum
- photoelectric effect
- speed of light measured by two detectors moving in respect to
each other is exactly the same
Ephoton = h
Plancks constant
frequency
Albert Einstein
Einstein showed that light:
is a phenomenon of empty space;
has a velocity thats constant,
independent of observer velocity;
is both a wave and a particle;