Experimental Physics S6

The wave optics lab sessions examine interference phenomena using Michelson and Fabry-Pérot interferometers as applications of high-resolution spectroscopy. (Lab sessions on the Michelson interferometer and the Fabry-Pérot interferometer)

Interference phenomena are also recorded on holographic plates for the reconstruction and study of holograms. (Holography Lab)

Light polarization is studied and serves as a basis for investigating birefringent materials (such as calcite), liquid crystals, and isotropic materials under stress (induced birefringence)... (Birefringence Lab)

The emission of electromagnetic waves by heated objects is studied in black-body lab exercises. The temperature of various hot objects is determined using a pyrometer, spectroscopy, and an infrared camera (for the human body, for example).

Lasers are also studied, including their emission and their longitudinal and transverse modes, either in a "fixed" cavity or in an open, adjustable cavity. (HeNe Laser Lab I and II)

The propagation speed of an intensity-modulated electromagnetic wave is measured by determining the phase shift in its modulation caused by its propagation. (Lab: Speed of Light)

Objects are analyzed using Fourier optics, which, after filtering, allows certain details to be highlighted or concealed. The study is also compared to digital Fourier filtering (TP strioscopy).

Finally, the property of certain substances—when subjected to a magnetic field—to deflect the plane of polarization of light passing through them is studied in the Faraday effect lab.

Become familiar with light analysis instruments such as spectrometers, power meters, spectrum analyzers, CCDs, pyrometers, etc., which are commonly used in industry and research.  

Apply the theoretical concepts learned during the first three years of the bachelor’s program by working with legendary optical instruments that are still used today in cutting-edge technology and research.

By the end of the course, students should be able to calibrate the instruments they have studied, interpret their observations, and take measurements using them. They will understand the physical phenomena involved and utilized in the instruments to enable precise measurements.

Some experiments are simple and do not require any special instruments for observation, but they involve fundamental phenomena that students must be able to identify and understand, and they require a protocol for demonstrating these phenomena that students must be able to replicate and understand.

1. Geometric Optics: Snell-Descartes’ Law. Image Formation by Lenses and Mirrors. Optical Path.
2. Wave Optics: Plane waves and the distribution of plane waves. Interference involving two or more waves. Fraunhofer diffraction.
3. Mathematics: Fourier Transform

Recommended prerequisites*:

      Polarization of light (polarizer, wave plates [quarter-wave, half-wave]). Concepts in Fourier optics (time/frequency, real space/wave vector). Fabry-Pérot (finesse, free spectral range). How a laser works (population inversion, spontaneous/stimulated emission).

CC (1/3) Practical Exam (2/3)

Practical training: 36 hours