Optical Components and Basic Instruments

Objective:

The objective of the course is to provide students the fundamental knowledge about the imaging characteristics of optical systems. In addition to this, the course deals with the design characteristics of refracting optical elements, diffracting optical elements, polarizing optical elements and different kinds of prisms which are used in different optical systems/instruments. Basic instruments like telescopes, microscopes, interferometers and systems like periscopes are also covered. Throughout the course, students will gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills related to optical components and systems.

The following topics are covered in the course

Generation of light: Thermal, non-thermal and semiconductor light sources. Measurement of light and instrumentation, Properties and propagation of light; The Ray Optics, Wave Optics, and Electromagnetic Optics; Basics of interference, diffraction and polarization of light. Optical Components: Reflecting components, plane, Spherical, paraboloidal, total internal reflection. Refracting components; Converging, diverging and combination of lenses, Design analysis and image formation by lenses, Wavefront aberrations; Monochromatic (Seidel), and chromatic aberrations. Eyepices: Huygens, Ramsden, and special eyepieces; Prisms, Polarizing prisms: Glan Taylor Polarizer, Glan- Thomson prism polarizer, Rochon Prism Polarizer, Senarmont prism polarizer, Wollaston Prism, Phase plates (λ/2, λ/4), Soleil – Babinet compensator, Diffracting components; diffraction by single/multiple/openings, types of gratings and fabrication techniques, diffractive optical elements. Polarizing components; Polarization by reflection, and double refraction, birefringence crystals, and polarization based optical devices, Rotatory Polarization, Polarization rotators; Optical instruments: Microscopes, Telescopes,; Refracting, reflecting, interferometric telescopes. Interferometers; two- beam, multiple-beam, and shearing interferometers; Detectors: Photodetectors, CCD and CMOS detectors, IR-detectors.

Topics:

1. Generation of light, properties of light, and geometrical optics
2. Wave Optics: Basics of Interference, diffraction, polarization
3. Image formation and Aberration in optical systems
4. Diffractive optical elements
5. Polarizing optical elements
6. Prisms: Dove, Porro, Rhomboids, Penta, Amici, right angle, roof etc.
7. Optical instruments-I: microscope, telescope, combination of telescopes and microscopes (endoscopes and cystoscopes)
8. Optical instruments-II: Interferometers, two- beam, multiple-beam, and shearing interferometers
9. Detectors