What you'll learn:
- Geometrical optics: Reflection & Refraction for understanding Mirrors & Lenses
- Wave optics: Diffraction, Interference & Polarization of light as a wave explained by Huygens' principle & Electrodynamics
- Quantum optics: Energy, Momentum & Spin of light as photons
- Famous experiments: Double-slit experiment, Photoelectric effect, Compton effect & many more
- Solar cells & LASER as modern light technologies
- Mathematical descriptions and derivations: From Maxwell's equations to Fresnel equations
- Exercises and applications of cool phenomena like Birefringence & Dichroism
- Modern optics phenomena like Holography & Fourier optics
This course is for everyone who wants to learn about optics: Beginners to experts!
A bit of high school mathematics (trigonometry, equations) is all you need to know to get started!
The fundamental question of optics is: 'What is light?' Is light a ray or a beam that can be fully described by geometry? Is light a wave that can interfere with other waves and can bend around corners? Does light consist of particles that have an energy and a momentum just like electrons or even macroscopic objects like a football? Here, we will discuss all of these approaches based on theory and experiments. I can guarantee that you will learn a lot no matter what your current skill level is. For advanced students: The later lectures about wave and quantum optics are on a university level.
You are kindly invited to join this carefully prepared course in which we derive the following concepts from scratch. I will present examples and have prepared quizzes and exercises for all topics.
Geometrical optics (3 hours)
Reflection & Mirrors
Refraction & Lenses
Applications: Eye, Microscope & Telescope
Wave optics (or physical optics) (8.5 hours)
Experiments & Phenomenological description (incl. introduction about derivatives and differential equations)
Diffraction, interference & Polarization
Theory based on Maxwell’s equations (incl. introduction to complex numbers)
Electromagnetic waves in matter: Derivation of the Fresnel equations & Complex refractive indices
Quantum optics (4.5 hours)
Photons: Quantum description of light (Photoelectric effect, Compton effect)
Applications: LASER & Solar cell
Introduction to quantum mechanics
Outlook: Modern optics phenomena
Why me?
My name is Börge Göbel and Iam a postdoc working as a scientist in theoretical physics. Therefore, I use presented concepts very often but I have not forgotten the time when I learned about it and still remember the problems that I and other students had.
I have refined my advisor skills as a tutor of Bachelor, Master and PhD students in theoretical physics and have other successful courses here on Udemy.
I hope you are excited and I kindly welcome you to our course!
