Scribd
Upload
32 views15 pages

PC20312 Wave Optics: Section 1: Electromagnetism and Waves

1. The document discusses key concepts in wave optics including the electromagnetic spectrum, plane waves, wavefronts, Huygens' principle of diffraction, Snell's law of refraction, the law of reflection, and imaging using curved surfaces such as lenses. 2. It introduces several important figures related to wave optics concepts and includes diagrams to illustrate Snell's law, the law of reflection, refraction at a spherical surface, and imaging with a lens. 3. Several pioneering scientists in optics and electromagnetism are mentioned including Ampère, Gauss, Faraday, Maxwell, Poynting, Fermat, and Huygens.

Uploaded by

Roy Vesey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
32 views15 pages

PC20312 Wave Optics: Section 1: Electromagnetism and Waves

1. The document discusses key concepts in wave optics including the electromagnetic spectrum, plane waves, wavefronts, Huygens' principle of diffraction, Snell's law of refraction, the law of reflection, and imaging using curved surfaces such as lenses. 2. It introduces several important figures related to wave optics concepts and includes diagrams to illustrate Snell's law, the law of reflection, refraction at a spherical surface, and imaging with a lens. 3. Several pioneering scientists in optics and electromagnetism are mentioned including Ampère, Gauss, Faraday, Maxwell, Poynting, Fermat, and Huygens.

Uploaded by

Roy Vesey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

PC20312 Wave Optics

Section 1:
Electromagnetism and Waves
Electromagnetic spectrum
André-Marie Ampère
(1775-1836 )

Carl Friedrich Gauss


1777-1855
Images from Wikipedia
Michael Faraday
1791-1867

James Clerk Maxwell


1831-1879
Images from Wikipedia
E

B k

Image adapted from Nick Strobel's Astronomy notes at www.astronomynotes.com


John Henry Poynting (1852-1914)

S =  -1 E × B

The Poynting vector is where a


beam of light is pointing.

Image from Wikipedia


Plane wavefronts
Planar surfaces of constant phase
k

E = E0 exp[i(kr-wt)]
Motion in +k
direction
Plane wavefronts
Planar surfaces of constant phase
k
E = E0 exp[i(kr+wt)]
Motion in -k
direction
Pierre de Fermat – 1608-72 Christiaan Huygens – 1629-95

Images from Wikipedia


Huygens’ wavelets
Click to Huygens’ wavelets demo

Or go to

http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/feschools/waves/diffract3.htm
Fig 1.1 Snell’s Law by Fermat

Image courtesy of A. Pedlar


Fig 1.2 Law of reflection by Fermat
P
Tutorial problem:
• Write optical path
S
length, L, between S
and P as function of x
dL h2
• Find
dx h1
dL
• i = r when dx  0 i r

x l-x
l
Fig 1.3 Refraction at a spherical surface

A
li
lo


S C P
R

So si
Imaging with a curved surface
S3

P2

S1 C P1

S2 P3
Fig 1.4 Imaging with a lens
Image formed by 1st
surface acts as a virtual
n1 n1 object for 2nd surface
n2

S P P'

Si,2

So,2

d
So,1 Si,1

You might also like