Details of PH3204 (Spring 2014)

Level: 3 Type: Laboratory Credits: 3.0

Course CodeCourse NameInstructor(s)
PH3204 Advanced Optics Laboratory Ayan Banerjee,
Nirmalya Ghosh,
Uday Kumar

Syllabus
Fundamental properties of light: Experiments have been included that would help the student understand the intrinsic properties of light itself. These include: Study of the angular momentum of light which helps the student to realize the similarities between the photon and the electron, Pancharatnam-Berry phase which invokes the concept of topological phase and the polarization ellipsoid, Spatial Frequency filtering that will introduce the concept of the spatial frequencies of light, and the ways in which these can be controlled in order to generate images and patterns, Stokes-Mueller polarimetry that will lay down the formalism of quantifying and representing the inherent polarization of light as well as a material system with which the light interacts, Optical Magnus effect that will introduce the student to the spin-orbit interaction of light and its manifestations, a hotly pursued topic of research in optics presently.

Light matter interactions: Light is often used as a tool to probe the different properties of matter. This course will give the student an exposure to different areas where light is used in order to obtain an understanding of material properties. These will include spectroscopy techniques such as Raman and Zeeman spectroscopy both based on the interaction of light with atoms and molecules, Faraday effect the magneto-optical rotation of the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light due to induced circular birefringence in a media, Raman Nath effect diffraction of light due to an acoustic wave in a liquid, Propagation of light through wave guides where we will look into the output modes of single and multi-mode fibers when an incident Gaussian beam is coupled into them, Diffraction and Scattering from fractal structures a study of how analysis of the scattered light can reveal the fractal nature of the scatterer, Surface Plasmon Resonance the modification of the optical properties of a metal-dielectric interface when light is incident under certain conditions.

Detailed list of experiments:
1. Spatial frequency filtering (Fourier optics)
2. Raman Nath diffraction
3. Faraday effect
4. Zeeman effect
5. Raman Effect
6. Fiber Optics guiding modes of fibers
7. Stokes-Mueller Polarimetry
8. Pancharatnam Berry Phase
9. Diffraction / Scattering from fractal structures
10. Orbital angular momentum of light
11. Optical Magnus effect
12. Surface plasmon resonance

References

Course Credit Options

Sl. No.ProgrammeSemester NoCourse Choice
1 IP 2 Core
2 IP 4 Not Allowed
3 MR 2 Elective
4 MR 4 Not Allowed
5 MS 6 Core
6 RS 1 Elective
7 RS 2 Elective