PHY2032 : Optics
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Thomas Billam
- Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To enhance student’s knowledge of fundamentals of optics and its applications in optical instrumentation and laser science and technology.
Outline Of Syllabus
Geometric Optics
Fermat’s principle, reflection and refraction, paraxial approximation, lenses and mirrors, ray tracing, optical instruments, aberrations
Physical Optics
Vector and scalar wave equations, nature of EM waves at optical frequencies, polarization, intensity, plane waves, Fourier transforms, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, Rayleigh criterion, resolving power of a grating, reflections from a dielectric and Brewster’s angle
Optical cavities and Lasers
Fabry-Perot interferometer, gain media, longitudinal cavity modes, Gaussian transverse modes, Gaussian beams and lenses, basics of Laser action
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Completion of in course assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Lectures (including revision lectures) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Problem-solving workshops- optics |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 53 | 1:00 | 53:00 | Preparation time for lectures, background reading, coursework review, revision |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The material will be delivered through the medium of lectures. The tutorials will allow the students to discuss the material of the course and work on exercises set through the course. Office hours (two per week) provide an opportunity for more direct contact between individual students and the lecturer: a typical student might spend a total of one or two hours over the course of the module, either individually or as part of a group.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 1 | A | 80 | N/A |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | 5 | Problem-solving exercises assessment |
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | 5 | Problem-solving exercises assessment |
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | 5 | Problem-solving exercises assessment |
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | 5 | Problem-solving exercises assessment |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
A substantial formal unseen examination is appropriate for the assessment of the material in this module. The format of the examination will enable students to reliably demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding and application of learning outcomes. The assurance of academic integrity forms a necessary part of programme accreditation.
Examination problems may require a synthesis of concepts and strategies from different sections, while they may have more than one ways for solution. The examination time allows the students to test different strategies, work out examples and gather evidence for deciding on an effective strategy, while carefully articulating their ideas and explicitly citing the theory they are using.
The coursework assignments allow the students to develop their problem solving techniques, to practise the methods learnt in the module, to assess their progress and to receive feedback; these assessments have a secondary formative purpose as well as their primary summative purpose.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHY2032's Timetable