Modern Optics for Engineers

Spring 2014
Instructor: Dr. Zhaolin Lu, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of
Technology.
Email: zxleen@rit.edu; Web: people.rit.edu/zxleen; Phone: (585) 475-2106;
Office: 17-2190; Office Hours: Tue/Thu 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.(?)
GRADING POLICY:
25% Homework
20% Projects
25% Mid-term
25% Final Exam
5% Class Attendance
No late homework/project submission is acceptable.
BOOKS:
B.E.A. Saleh and M.C. Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics, Second Edition, John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 2007.
A. Yariv and P. Yeh, Photonics: Optical Electronics in Modern Communications, Sixth
Edition, Oxford University Press, 2006.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1) Revisit geometrical optics and establish matrix theory for analyzing complicated
optical lens systems.
2) Study light propagation and interference in various media.
3) Apply modern signal processing theory in optics to analyze optical information
transmission, receiving, and processing.
4) Illustrate the current state-of-the-art by reference to journal articles and to
examples of actual devices and systems in use today.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides a broad overview of modern optics in preparation for more
advanced courses in the rapidly developing fields of optical fiber communications, image
processing, super-resolution imaging, and optical properties of materials. Topics covered:
geometrical optics, propagation of light, diffraction, interferometry, Fourier optics,
optical properties of materials, polarization and liquid crystals, and fiber optics. In all
topics, light will be viewed as signals that carry information (data) in the time domain or
spatial domain. After taking this course, the students should have a firm foundation in
classical optics.

Tentative Schedule of Lectures

No.

Topic
RAY OPTICS (Chapter 1)
Postulates of Ray Optics
Simple Optical Components
Graded-Index Optics
Matrix Optics
Concepts or Skills:
Fermats principle
Design optimal lens profiles
Analyze multimode GRIN optical fiber
Matrix method for analyzing optical lens systems
ELECTROMAGNETIC OPTICS (Chapter 5.1, 5.4)
Electromagnetic Theory of Light
WAVE OPTICS (Chapter 2)
Postulates of Wave Optics
Monochromatic Waves
Relation Between Wave Optics and Ray Optics
Simple Optical Components
Interference
Polychromatic and Pulsed Light
Holography (Chapter 4.5)

Lecture

1-4

5-8

Concepts or Skills:
Maxwell Equations and Wave Equations
Vector Waves and Scalar Waves
Elemental Waves and Their Expressions
Phase Masks
Interference and Light Beating
Holography

BEAM OPTICS (Chapter 3)

The Gaussian Beam
Concepts or Skills:
The Profile and Evolution of a Laser Beam

if time permits

FOURIER OPTICS (Chapter 4)

Propagation of Light in Free Space
Optical Fourier Transform
Diffraction of Light
Image Formation
4

Concepts or Skills:
2D Fourier Transform
Image Analysis in Spatial Frequency Domain
Image Processing in Spatial Frequency Domain
Diffraction of Light
Resolution of Imaging Systems

9-14

Midterm

15 or16

PROPERTIES OF DIELECTRICS (Chapter 5.2-7)

Electromagnetic Waves in Dielectric Media
Absorption and Dispersion
Pulse Propagation in Dispersive Media
Optics of Magnetic Materials and Metamaterials

16-20

Concepts or Skills:
Absorption and Dispersion
Super Resolution Imaging Systems

POLARIZATION OPTICS (Chapter 6)

Polarization of Light
Reflection and Refraction
Optics of Anisotropic Media
Optical Activity and Magneto-Optics
Optics of Liquid Crystals
Polarization Devices
Concepts or Skills:
Jones Matrix
Fresnel Equations
Permittivity Tensor and Double Reflection
Optical Activity and Faraday Effect
Principle of Liquid Crystals
Polarization Devices
OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES (Chapter 8.1-2)
Optical Waveguides
Guided Modes Between Two Parallel Mirrors
Planar Dielectric Waveguides
Concepts or Skills:
Classification of Optical Waveguides
Modes
Propagation Constant
Cutoff
FIBER OPTICS (Chapter 9)
Guided Ray Theory
Guided Wave Theory
Attenuation and Dispersion
Optical Fiber Components

21-24

25-26

27-29

Concepts or Skills:
Classification of Optical Fiber
Theory of Single Mode Fiber
Attenuation and Dispersion in Optical Fiber
OPTICAL FIBER COMMUNICATIONS (Handout)
10

Concepts or Skills:
Optical Fiber Communication Principle

30