PHYS 3100 - Optics

Credit Hours 3
Prerequisite: PHYS 2120/2121 and MATH 1920 with grades of “C” or higher;
Corequisite: PHYS 3101
Description: The study of light and its interactions with matter in the context of the wave and ray models. Topics include: electromagnetic theory of light; representations, propagation and manipulation of plane waves and Gaussian laser beams; superposition, interference and diffraction of light by gratings and apertures; complex refractive index and material dispersion; reflection and refraction at flat and curved interfaces; Fresnel equations and evanescent waves; and color generation via polarization and birefringence.