Course syllabus

Course-PM

MCC046 Photonics and lasers lp3 VT22 (7.5 hp)

The course is offered by the department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Photonics Laboratory

The Course-PM, including plan for lectures and labs are available as a pdf here.

Contact details

The following teachers give the course

Guest Lecturer: Prof. Em. Anders Larsson, NVidia

Course purpose

The aim of the course is to provide the student with an up to date knowledge of concepts and techniques used in modern photonics. Different physical models for light propagation and interaction with matter are discussed, and they are implemented using modern numerical methods. The fundamentals of laser physics and laser applications is covered as well. A wide area of optical phenomena and applications is covered, from lenses and holography, to laser welding and optical data storage. The broad nature of the course gives a good background for further in-depth studies in the field of photonics.

Schedule

Generally: Mondays 10-12, Wednesdays 10-12, 13.15-17.15 during Q3 in the lecture hall 'Kollektorn'. However, see the course-pm for details.

Course literature

Textbook: B.E.A. Saleh and M.C. Teich: Fundamentals of Photonics, 2nd ed., 2007, Wiley. Available from the Chalmers bookstore “Store”. Also available as an e-book from the Chalmers library. 

"Problems and Answers in Photonics and Lasers", problem collection, available for download from the course home page. 

Additional recommended literature, openly available and free to download are:

Daniel A. Steck, Classical and Modern Optics, available here: http://atomoptics-nas.uoregon.edu/~dsteck/teaching/optics/optics-notes.pdf

J. Peatross and M. Ware, Physics of Light and Optics, 2015 edition, available at optics.byu.edu

These books give alternative presentations on some of the course material, even if they cannot fully replace all aspects of Fundamentals of Photonics.

 

Course design

Lectures (14 regular+1 guest lecture)

The main part of the course is the regular Lectures based on slides and whiteboard. Shown slides will be handed out on the website. Also minor experiments/demos and problems will be covered.  At the end of the course an industrial  guest lecturer will present photonic industry aplications. This years it will be Prof Anders Larsson, from the Chalmers spinoff company OptiGot AB. 

Calculation exercises (8)

These tutorials will mainly focus on exam-level calculations and problem solving. 

Numerical tutorials + home assignments (4)

The theory and practice of numerical simulations in photonics will be taught at these tutorials, with this knowledge then put to use in 4 python/MATLAB-based home assignments. The home assignments shall be handed in one week after being handed out (see schedule in the course PM), and will be corrected within 1 week. If a return is required, the final deadline for handing them in will be March 31st.

Ethics lecture (1)

Ethical issues will be addressed in one lecture, where engineering subject matter and real life career settings form the basis for analysis of ethical dilemmas. A written essay on a relevant ethical dilemma shall be handed in.

Lab exercises (2)

There are 2 compulsory lab exercises (approx 4 h each), that include pre-assignments that should be solved and handed in (individually) via pingpong before the lab. Suitable lab group sizes are 2 or 3, but not alone. Sign up for labs in Canvas. The labs take place on level B4, room B445 in the MC2-building (enter opposite to the Kollektorn lecture hall). 

Lab 1 is about free-space Fourier optics, and lab 2 is about building a fiber ring laser. A brief lab report should be handed in after lab 2.

Suggested reading list

Lecture Overview

Models of Light

Lecture number

Lecture themes

Chapters for

central content

Sections for

extra studies

Ray Optics

2

Ray Optics

1, 9.1

1.3 C

Wave Optics

3

Wave Optics

2

2.3

4

Beam Optics

3, 7.1 B

3.2 D, 3.4

5

Optical Resonators

10

10.2 E, 10.3-4

6,14

Lasers, mode-locking

15.1, 15.4A,D

 

7

Fourier Optics

4.1-2

 

8

Diffraction, imaging, holography

4.3-5

 

Electromagnetic Optics

9

Electromagnetic Optics

5, 9.3

5.5 C-D, 5.7

10

Polarization, Crystal Optics

6, 7.1

6.3

11

Optical Waveguides and Fibers

8.1-3, 9.3

8.5 A-B

12

Coherence

11.1

 

Quantum Optics

12

Photon Optics

Photon-Atom Interaction

12.1, 12.2 A-B

13.2-4

12.3

13.3 E-F

13,14

Laser amplifiers and oscillations

14, 15, 17.2-3

14.4 B, 14.5

 

Changes made since the last occasion

Victor Torres Company will give 2 of the lectures. Some lectures and exercises have been rescheduled.

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

1. describe the four theories/models of light and apply the appropriate theory for a given optical problem.
2. implement the relevant model analytically and numerically, and use numerical software (e.g. MATLAB) to perform simulations of various optical systems.
3. discuss and apply the theories for interaction of light with matter.
4. describe qualitatively and quantitatively
- ray propagation in lenses and mirrors
- propagation and diffraction of Gaussian beams of light
- Fourier decomposition and analysis of light in terms of plane waves
- imaging, holography and optical waveguides
- coherence and the statistical properties of light
- polarization properties of light and how polarization components work
- how light is generated in a laser
- various laser types and their applications
- properties of laser light such as output power, frequency, line width, modes and dynamics
- laser safety, dealing with ethical dilemmas 
5. Collect and evaluate experimental data in a photonic experiment while taking into account laser safety.

Examination 

The examination of this course includes a list of obligatory activities as well as a written exam. The obligatory activities are:

  • 2 lab exercises including pre-lab assignments 
  • 4 numerical home assignments
  • 1 ethics essay
  • written exam

 

The exam and grading

The regular written exam will be a 4-hour exam. Please remember to sign up before the deadline.

The written exam will be structured in a similar way as the previous 3 years’ exams, with a concept-based part consisting of short questions worth 10 points together, and a more extensive part consisting of problems worth 50 points together, in total 60 points. Examples of such “old” exams will be used in class and available for study on the course homepage.

The grading is calculated by the following scheme where x denotes the exam points.

0 ≤ x < 24 points: not passed

24 ≤ x < 36 : grade 3

36 ≤ x  : grade 4

48  ≤ x : grade 5

 

The exam dates for MCC046 for the academic year 2022-2023 are:

  • Monday March 13, 14-18 
  • Tuesday June 8, 14-18 
  • For the August re-exam, Contact examiner (Magnus) to register and suggest a date.