Optics From Beginner To Expert - The Physics Of Light

Geometrical, Wave, Physical, Quantum & Modern Optics: Famous Experiments, Effects, Applications & Mathematical Models

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

Requirements

Basic mathematics

Recommended: What are derivatives and vectors?

Description

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 & MirrorsRefraction & LensesApplications: Eye, Microscope & TelescopeWave optics (or physical optics) (8.5 hours)Experiments & Phenomenological description (incl. introduction about derivatives and differential equations)Diffraction, interference & PolarizationTheory based on Maxwell’s equations (incl. introduction to complex numbers)Electromagnetic waves in matter: Derivation of the Fresnel equations & Complex refractive indicesQuantum optics (4.5 hours)Photons: Quantum description of light (Photoelectric effect, Compton effect)Applications: LASER & Solar cellIntroduction to quantum mechanicsOutlook: Modern optics phenomenaWhy me?My name is Börge Göbel  and I am 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!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Structure of this course

Lecture 2 Light throughout history & Overview of this course

Lecture 3 Download the slides

Section 2: Geometrical optics: Reflection & Mirrors

Lecture 4 Section intro

Lecture 5 Overview

Lecture 6 Reflection

Lecture 7 Mirrors: Real versus virtual images

Lecture 8 Concave mirrors

Lecture 9 Concave mirrors: Image construction

Lecture 10 Convex mirrors

Lecture 11 Convex mirrors: Image construction

Lecture 12 Calculating the image size for mirrors

Lecture 13 Calculating the image distance for mirrors

Lecture 14 Focal length & Optical power

Lecture 15 Reflecting telescope

Lecture 16 About quizzes and exercises

Lecture 17 [Exercises] Geometrical optics: Reflection & Mirrors

Lecture 18 [Solution] Exercise 1: Convex mirror

Lecture 19 [Solution] Exercise 2: Focus of a reflecting telescope

Lecture 20 [Solution] Exercise 3: Spherical versus parabolic mirror

Lecture 21 Speed of light: Fizeau's method

Lecture 22 Section summary & Outlook

Lecture 23 Slides of this section

Section 3: Geometrical optics: Refraction & Lenses

Lecture 24 Section intro

Lecture 25 [Optional Mathematics] Derivatives

Lecture 26 Overview

Lecture 27 Refraction & Refractive index

Lecture 28 Total reflection

Lecture 29 Fermat's principle

Lecture 30 Snell's law: Refraction derived from Fermat's principle

Lecture 31 Lenses

Lecture 32 Convex lenses

Lecture 33 Concave lenses

Lecture 34 Lensmaker's equation

Lecture 35 [Exercises] Geometrical optics: Refraction & Lenses

Lecture 36 [Solution] Exercise 1: Refraction from water to glass

Lecture 37 [Solution] Exercise 2: Concave lens

Lecture 38 [Solution] Exercise 3: Proof of equations for image size and length

Lecture 39 Microscope

Lecture 40 Eye

Lecture 41 Optical aberrations

Lecture 42 Dispersion & Colors of light

Lecture 43 Section summary & Outlook

Lecture 44 Slides of this section

Section 4: Wave optics: Huygens' principle, phenomenology & Experiments

Lecture 45 Section intro

Lecture 46 [Mathematical basics] Partial derivatives

Lecture 47 [Mathematical basics] Basics of differential equations

Lecture 48 Dispersion of light

Lecture 49 Waves: Solution of the wave equation & Mathematical function

Lecture 50 Wave length in different materials

Lecture 51 Refraction of waves

Lecture 52 Superposition of waves: Interference

Lecture 53 Group & Phase velocity of waves

Lecture 54 Standing waves

Lecture 55 Measuring the wave length by interference

Lecture 56 Thin-film interference

Lecture 57 [Exercises] Waves

Lecture 58 [Solution] Waves

Lecture 59 [Solution] Interference

Lecture 60 Spherical waves (or circular waves)

Lecture 61 Huygens' principle

Lecture 62 Double-slit experiment

Lecture 63 Diffraction: Single-slit experiment

Lecture 64 Diffraction grating

Lecture 65 Angular resolution limit & Rayleigh criterion

Lecture 66 Polarization

Lecture 67 Polarizer

Lecture 68 Birefringence

Lecture 69 Polarization by reflection & Brewster angle

Lecture 70 [Exercise] Light as a wave

Lecture 71 [Solution] Double-slit experiment

Lecture 72 [Solution] Polarization

Lecture 73 Section summary & Outlook

Lecture 74 Slides of this section

Section 5: Wave optics: Theory based on Maxwell's equations

Lecture 75 Section intro

Lecture 76 [Mathematical basics] Nabla operator & Multidimensional derivatives

Lecture 77 [PART 1] Starting with Maxwell's equations

Lecture 78 Maxwell's equations

Lecture 79 [Optional] Origin of Maxwell's equations

Lecture 80 Energy of electromagnetic fields & Poynting vector

Lecture 81 [PART 2] Continuing with light as a solution to Maxwell's equations in vacuum

Lecture 82 [Mathematical basics] Complex numbers 1/4 - What are complex numbers?

Lecture 83 [Mathematical basics] Complex numbers 2/4 - Addition, subtraction, complex plane

Lecture 84 [Mathematical basics] Complex numbers 3/4 - Multiplication & division

Lecture 85 [Mathematical basics] Complex numbers 4/4 - Exponentials & polar representation

Lecture 86 [Exercises] Complex numbers

Lecture 87 [Solutions] Complex numbers

Lecture 88 Wave equation derived from Maxwell's equations in vacuum

Lecture 89 Discussion: Real versus complex quantities

Lecture 90 Light as an electromagnetic wave: Dispersion relation & Wave packet

Lecture 91 Characterization of electromagnetic waves

Lecture 92 Polarization of light

Lecture 93 Poynting vector: Intensity & Radiation pressure

Lecture 94 [Exercises] Light as an electromagnetic wave

Lecture 95 [Solution] Light as an electromagnetic wave

Lecture 96 Section outro

Lecture 97 Slides of this section

Section 6: Wave optics: From Maxwell's equations in matter to the Fresnel equations

Lecture 98 Section intro

Lecture 99 [PART 1] Maxwell's equations in matter

Lecture 100 Polarization of matter

Lecture 101 Magnetization of matter

Lecture 102 Maxwell’s equations in matter

Lecture 103 Electric field E, Displacement field D, Magnetic flux B and Magnetizing field H

Lecture 104 [PART 2] Fresnel's equations

Lecture 105 Light in a medium

Lecture 106 Light in a medium: Refractive index

Lecture 107 Impedance & Admittance

Lecture 108 Interface conditions for electromagnetic fields

Lecture 109 Wave vectors at an interface

Lecture 110 Reflection of s-polarized light

Lecture 111 Reflection of p-polarized light

Lecture 112 Fresnel equations: Reflectivity & Transmissivity

Lecture 113 [Exercise] Fresnel equations

Lecture 114 [Solution] Fresnel equations: Perpendicular incidence

Lecture 115 [Solution] Fresnel equations: Grazing incidence

Lecture 116 Fresnel equations: Total reflection

Lecture 117 Fresnel equations: Brewster angle

Lecture 118 [PART 3] Complex refractive index

Lecture 119 Attenuation & Opacity

Lecture 120 Complex refractive index derived from a damped harmonic oscillator

Lecture 121 Complex refractive index in gases and thin media

Lecture 122 Typical frequency dependence of the refractive index

Lecture 123 Birefringence & Dichroism

Lecture 124 Waveplates: manipulating polarization - Quarter-wave & Half-wave plates

Lecture 125 Section outro

Lecture 126 Slides of this section

Section 7: Quantum optics: Photons, quantum properties of light & Photoelectric effect

Lecture 127 Section intro

Lecture 128 What is light? Summary of the wave-like properties discussed so far

Lecture 129 Photoelectric effect: Light as a particle & Energy of a photon

Lecture 130 Photon: Energy and intensity

Lecture 131 Particle-wave dualism for light and matter

Lecture 132 Heisenberg's uncertainty & Schrödinger's cat: Double-slit experiment revisited

Lecture 133 Black-body radiation & Ultraviolet catastrophe

Lecture 134 Planck's law

Lecture 135 Compton effect

Lecture 136 Momentum of a photon & Explanation of the Compton effect

Lecture 137 Spin of a photon

Lecture 138 Photons versus electrons

Lecture 139 Section outro

Lecture 140 Slides of this section

Section 8: Solar cells: Photoelectric effect applied to photovoltaics

Lecture 141 Section intro

Lecture 142 Solar energy: Photons generated in the sun

Lecture 143 Band structure of semiconductors

Lecture 144 Doping of a semiconductor & P-n junction

Lecture 145 Solar cells

Lecture 146 Band gap determining the figure of merit of a solar cell

Lecture 147 Shockley-Queisser limit of solar cells' efficiency

Lecture 148 Alternative geometries of solar cells

Lecture 149 [Exercise] Cost efficiency of solar cells

Lecture 150 [Solution] Cost efficiency of solar cells

Lecture 151 Section outro

Lecture 152 Slides of this section

Section 9: From absorption & Emission of photons to LASER application

Lecture 153 Section intro

Lecture 154 Energy levels of electrons in an atom: Bohr model

Lecture 155 Example: Energy levels of hydrogen and relation to emitted photons

Lecture 156 Absorption, stimulated emission and spontaneous emission of photons

Lecture 157 LASER: Pumping for inversion

Lecture 158 LASER: Resonator

Lecture 159 LASER: Helium-neon as an example

Lecture 160 Coherence of light

Lecture 161 [Optional] Where do the energy levels come from?

Lecture 162 [Optional] Schrödinger equation

Lecture 163 [Optional] Solving the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom

Lecture 164 [Optional] Discussion of the eigensystem of the hydrogen atom

Lecture 165 Section outro

Lecture 166 Slides of this section

Section 10: Modern light phenomena

Lecture 167 Section intro

Lecture 168 Fourier optics

Lecture 169 Holography

Lecture 170 Non-linear optics

Lecture 171 Second-harmonic generation

Lecture 172 Section outro

Lecture 173 Slides of this section

Lecture 174 Thank you & Goodbye

Lecture 175 Follow me & My other courses

All skill levels from beginners to experts: The sections differ in difficulty from easy (geometrical optics) to advanced (quantum optics),Everyone who wants to understand 'What is light?' from several perspectives,Students who want to understand the famous experiments and phenomena related to light,The more advanced sections are especially for college and university students who are also interested in the mathematical description of the effect