Fundamentals of Applied Optics Laboratory (1 unit). Optical systems; Gaussian optics, aberrations, radiometry, sources, detectors, optical engineering. Concurrent registration in OPTI 502.

Meeting Times:
Lectures: Mondays 10:00-10:50 | Labs: See course website

Instructor:
Dae Wook Kim
Meinel Building, Room 612
626-9210
dkim@optics.arizona.edu

Overview

This class introduces students to equipment and techniques for setting up optical experiments and making measurements in the lab. The labs should demonstrate some fundamentals of applied optics – geometric optics and radiometry.

The class meets weekly on Mondays to go over the upcoming lab, and to discuss results from the previous lab. The lab work should be done in groups of two to four students per group, in three hour weekly sessions. Most labs can be done in one week, but several of the labs will be done over two weeks.

Each group must schedule their lab session with the TA, who will post the schedule, and will assist with the labs. You will usually be able to stay past the scheduled time, and you can schedule additional time in the lab. You may have access to the lab after hours, just coordinate this with the TA.

Preparation for the labs is essential. Handouts will available a week before the experiment. References are listed and will be provided in the reading room.

The lab notebook is the most important part of the lab. You need to keep your notebook up to date, and write in it as you do the lab. You must use a bound notebook that has numbered pages that cannot come out. Your notebooks must contain everything needed to reproduce the experiment:

• Date, time, lab partner(s)
• Purpose of the experiment
• Diagrams of set-ups
• All observations and comments
• Required calculations with equations
• Answers to the questions from the handouts

The notebook must be legible and neatly done so somebody else reading your notebook could understand what you did. All markings in the lab notebook should be made in pen. It is a good idea to cut out and tape relevant material into your notebook where appropriate. It is also useful to keep a table of contents for your notebook.

The grade for this course is based on your lab notebook (75%) and a final paper (25%). The notebooks will be graded on the basis of completeness of the lab write-up and answering the questions. Lab notebooks will be collected during the semester and graded. Also, we will always be happy to look at your notebooks throughout the term.

In addition to the 1-hour Monday class, I will set up office hours when I will be available to come to the lab. Also, I will generally be available for walk-in visits in my office. However, your best bet for learning is usually to struggle through your difficulties with your partner.

Final Paper
At the end of the term, you must submit a 5-10 page paper covering a topic of your choice from this course. The paper will be worth 25% of your grade. The paper should be written as an informal technical memo. It must show your results in a complete and concise way. The main purpose of the final paper is to show that you can communicate your ideas. It must be clearly structured and legible, but it could be hand written.

The paper is due at the end of the term with your lab notebook, but it can be turned in any time in the semester before that.

Course Outline:

1. Orientation, mechanical measurement
   Orientation to lab, set up groups
   Common tools for measurements, error analysis
   
   
2. Images, prisms, and mirrors
   Handling cleaning, and mounting optical elements
   Image formation
   Properties of windows, mirrors, prisms
   
   
3. Thin lenses and alignment
   Techniques for measuring focal length of thin lenses:
   • imaging and conjugates
   • autocollimation
   • focometer
   Angular measurement using an autocollimator
   System alignment
   
   
4. First-order design and assembly
   Design and assemble a riflescope
   Measure first-order properties with and without field lenses
   Simulate the optics with optical analysis code
   
   
5. Lens layout and construction
   Disassemble a lens. Study the construction and lens spacing
   Measure curvatures and calculate cardinal points of the elements
   Use nodal slide to determine cardinal points of a lens
   
   
6. Aberrations I
   Generate and evaluate optical aberrations defocus, chromatic aberrations, spherical aberration, astigmatism
   
   
7. Aberrations II
   Generate and evaluate coma, distortion, and field curvature
   
   
8. Illumination
   Investigate different types of illumination in a microscope such as point source, collimated source, Abbe, Kohler, dark field, and diffuse.
   Investigate tradeoffs between incoherent and coherent illumination
   
   
9. Radiometry and Photometry
   Study radiometric concepts using a lens and an incoherent source
   Measure throughput & vignetting effects. Measure properties of Lambertian source & point source
   Make photometric measurements
   
   
10. Optical transfer function
    Evaluate optical performance using frequency analysis
    Compare with Fourier transform of image