The course provides the students with tools for dealing with diffraction and propagation of optical fields, which are at the basis of opto-electronic and photonic applications. In such a context, it introduces and develops the concept of optical coherence and presents suitable techniques for solving propagation problems in vacuo and in materials.
teacher profile teaching materials
- Wave equation, harmonic waves, Helmholtz equation, plane waves
- From Maxwell equations to e.m. waves, plane e.m. waves, Poynting vector, power and momentum, intensity, polarization
- Propagation and interference of plane waves, superpositions of plane waves
- Diffraction, plane-wave expansion of a light field
- Diffraction-free beams
- Rayleigh-Sommerfeld formula, Huygens-Fresnel principle, Fresnel integral, paraxial wave equation
- Far-field approximation
- Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction from rectangular slit, circular hole, opaque disc
- Effects on propagation of thin lenses and spherical mirrors
- Diffraction by gratings
- Diffractive Optical Elements: beam multipliers, Damman gratings, phase discretization, circular gratings
- Electromagnetic theory of gratings
- Gaussian beams of zero and higher order
- Focusing, collimating and expanding Gaussian beams
- Uncertainty principle and M2 factor
- Principles of holography, computer-generated holograms
- Introduction to coherence theory, coherence function, degrees of coherence, van Citter-Zernike and Wiener-Kintchine theorems
- F. Gori, “Elementi di Ottica”, ed. Accademica (1995)
Notes on selected arguments are also available on the course website, under the section "Complementi"
Programme
- Preliminaries: Dirac delta function, Fourier transform, convolution, linear systems, Bessel functions- Wave equation, harmonic waves, Helmholtz equation, plane waves
- From Maxwell equations to e.m. waves, plane e.m. waves, Poynting vector, power and momentum, intensity, polarization
- Propagation and interference of plane waves, superpositions of plane waves
- Diffraction, plane-wave expansion of a light field
- Diffraction-free beams
- Rayleigh-Sommerfeld formula, Huygens-Fresnel principle, Fresnel integral, paraxial wave equation
- Far-field approximation
- Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction from rectangular slit, circular hole, opaque disc
- Effects on propagation of thin lenses and spherical mirrors
- Diffraction by gratings
- Diffractive Optical Elements: beam multipliers, Damman gratings, phase discretization, circular gratings
- Electromagnetic theory of gratings
- Gaussian beams of zero and higher order
- Focusing, collimating and expanding Gaussian beams
- Uncertainty principle and M2 factor
- Principles of holography, computer-generated holograms
- Introduction to coherence theory, coherence function, degrees of coherence, van Citter-Zernike and Wiener-Kintchine theorems
Core Documentation
- P. Mazzoldi, M. Nigro, C. Voci, “Elementi di Fisica, vol. 2”, II edizione, EdiSES (2008)- F. Gori, “Elementi di Ottica”, ed. Accademica (1995)
Notes on selected arguments are also available on the course website, under the section "Complementi"
Type of delivery of the course
Lectures and exercisesType of evaluation
The final exam consists in an oral test