Wave Physics

Aim

The course aims to provide basic knowledge of mechanical waves including acoustics and electromagnetic waves with a focus on the field of optics.

After completing the course, students should be able to:

I. reproduce, explain, analyze and use concepts, relationships and methods belonging to the field of mechanical waves

II. reproduce, explain, analyze and apply concepts, relationships and methods related to the field of wave optics

III. reproduce, explain, analyze and use concepts, relationships and methods belonging to the field of ray optics

IV. reproduce, explain, analyze and use concepts, relationships and methods belonging to the field of polarization optics.

The learning objectives above also include measuring, analyzing and reporting acoustic and optical quantities.

Content

The purpose of the course is to treat basic theory for mechanical and electromagnetic waves.

The course consists of four parts corresponding to the four areas above:

I. Mechanical waves

II. Wave optics

III. Ray optics, as well as

IV. Polarization optics.

Within each course part, theory, relevant applications, material aspects and sustainability issues are covered.

A further description of these areas provides that:

Part I deals with the basic description of mechanical waves and electromagnetic cases the interference phenomena that occur when two or more waves interact.

Part II describes the wave model for electromagnetic waves, with main focus on optics.

Part III describes the ray model and how it differs from the wave model.

Part IV extends the description of the wave model by also considering the polarization of electromagnetic waves.

The course covers two main types of waves.Mechanical waves, including acoustics/sound (described in Part I).Electromagnetic waves, primarily optics/light (described in Part II-IV).

The course can also be divided into two* model descriptions, the wave model and the beam model.The mechanical waves, which are based on mechanical oscillatory motions, are mainly described by the wave model (in part I).The electromagnetic waves are treated via the wave model (alt. wave optics or physical optics) (in part II and IV), as well as via the ray model (alt. ray optics or geometrical optics) (in part III).

*A third particle model (particle optics) describes, among other things, light as photons. This model is introduced only briefly at the end of the course.

The course covers many concepts and relationships including:

Harmonic waves, Doppler effect, sound intensity, sound intensity level, reflection and transmission of waves, refraction, total reflection, Huygens and Fermat's principles of propagation, diverging and converging lenses and mirrors, ray tracing, optical systems, paraxial matrix formalism, optical instruments, interference, diffraction, levitation, single slit, double slit, circular aperture, diffraction grating, resolution, spectrometer and interferometer principles, thin film interference and antireflection layers, refraction and absorption, dispersion models, anisotropy. polarization, state of polarization, Brewster angle, linear dichroic and birefringent materials, optical activity.