Modern Optics PHY 485 F1485 F www physics

Modern Optics PHY 485 F/1485 F www. physics. utoronto. ca/~phy 485/Mod. Opt/ Robin Marjoribanks Mc. Lennan Physics 1104 C marj@physics. utoronto. ca

What makes this course important? © foundation course in modern (quantum) optics ©basic literacy in a modern, active area of physics ©fundamental science, concepts, understanding ©a subject of technology that supports many others © an extremely active, intense area of current research ©numerous Nobel prizes in the last decade

Topics © laser as a pivot-point © look backwards from invention to classical optics needed to understand how the laser tailors light, © forward to the quantum optics explosion that has followed © basic optics © diffraction theory © gaussian beams © laser resonators © semiclassical laser theory © ultrafast pulse generation © a selection of currently active research topics: © laser cooling, photonic bandgap structures, extreme optics, quantum information and other topics

The Laser Oscillator ©Laser oscillators are built in a Fabry-Perot resonator W. Silvfast http: //cord. org/step_online/st 1 -5/st 15 ttl. htm © solutions are standing waves in this laser cavity © spectrum of possible frequencies satisfy: wn = n 2π c / L L is the cavity length = n wo c is speed of light © these modes may each have their own amplitude En thus the optical field in the cavity can be written: En ei(nwot+f(n)) ©In a free cavity, with random f(n), we get ‘wild’ light. In a cavity where ©we make f(n)=0, we lock the modes together

Ultrafast Ti: sapphire laser © Kerr effect makes intense pulses ‘self-focus’ slightly © © intense pulses pass better through aperture, where weak ones blocked alters stability of cavity slightly, favoring intense pulses also can affect deflection of beam, to same effect modelocking can start from mechanical vibration: ‘magic modelocking’

Er-fiber laser (Modern Physics Lab PHY 326/426) ©output: © 1550 nm © 100 fs © 2– 40 m. W ©pump: © 980 nm diode © 60 m. W min ©fiber coupled ©modelocking: ©Kerr ellipserotation ©polarizer discrimination ©dispersion © 2 kinds of fiber ©opposite GVD

Course Approach ©multiple resources: ©textbook ©lectures ©online materials: demos, applications ©office hours ©other texts ©study/work groups ©all are needed ©each has particular advantages

Lectures ©will concentrate on what lectures do best ©won’t just lead you through the textbook ©will provide interaction and feedback that books cannot ©will provide demonstrations and animations ©will depend on you having read/prepared also

Textbook © “Optics” (4 th edition), Hecht © we’ll use this for its wonderful illustrations and applications, but it is organized by device rather than by principle — we’ll use it for its modules, as we proceed more logically (see guide to topics on website) © optional (cheap): “Introduction to Modern Optics” by Grant R. Fowles (get online errata correcting a number of errors) © reference: “Lasers” by P. W. Milonni and J. H. Eberly (Wiley).

Office Hours ©Professor Marjoribanks ©Wednesdays 2– 3 pm (OK? ) ©MP 1104 C ©markers to be determined

Contact ©I’ll initiate email using only your official registered U of T email address (e. g. , zubeki@utoronto. ca) ©problem set changes, class announcements, reminders may go there ©you’re responsible for email

Problem sets © Problem set due dates (posted on web) ©PS#1 - due 2 October ©PS#2 - due 21 October ©Midterm Test: 28 October 2008, 5 -7 pm OK? ©PS#3 - due 13 November ©PS#4 - due 4 December (zero extensions) ©Group seminar presentations 22 November 10 -5 pm © solutions posted on course web-site © late policy: 20% off per day © zero, once solutions are posted (~3 days)

getting Midterm back © the TAs each mark part of the midterm © I am at a conference third week of November if the TAs don’t both get their marking done in one week, you won’t get the midterm back before the start of December

Marking scheme ©Term work: © 4 problem sets (best 3 out of 4) 30% ©seminar group presentation (22 Nov) 10% ©term test 60% 100% ©Final exam ©final exam 100% ©Course mark: 60/40 flip-flop

Midterm test – only impossibles 27 Monday 28 Tues 9 -10 10 -11 xxxxx 11 -12 xxxxx 29 Wed 30 Thurs xxxxx 31 Friday 12 -1 pm 1 -2 2 -3 3 -4 2 4 -5 2 5 -6 √ 8 2 6 -7 3 8 3 7 -8 8 -9 xxxxx 2 Colloq √ √