Optics Experiments and Demonstrations for Student Laboratories: Principles, methods and applications

This book provides a comprehensive guide to a wide range of optical experiments. Topics covered include classical geometrical and physical optics, polarization, scattering and diffraction, imaging, interference, wave propagation, optical properties of materials, and atmospheric and relativistic optics. There are a few selected suggestions on lasers and quantum optics. The book is an essential practical guide for optics students and their mentors at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The experiments described are based on the author's experience during many years of laboratory teaching in several universities and colleges and the emphasis is on setups which use equipment that is commonly available in student labs, with minimal dependence on special samples or instruments. A basic background in physics and optics is assumed, but commonly encountered problems and mistakes are discussed. There are several appendices describing specialized points which are difficult to locate in the literature, and advice is provided about computer simulations which accompany some of the experiments.

Key Features

• Describes experiments in a wide range of optical topics, which an advanced undergraduate student will be acquainted with
• Emphasizes how to carry out the experiments in a student laboratory, without the need for specialized equipment

This highly recommended book masterfully fills a significant lacuna in optics education with an innovative approach. The author, following five decades of teaching optics, provides an expert guide for student pairs to assemble commonly available optical components (not from commercial kits), and to achieve their alignment, data acquisition, analysis and interpretation.
The extensive scope includes geometrical optics, physical optics, optics of materials, atmospheric optics, relativistic optics and quantum optics. The author provides a comprehensive set of suggestions, pitfalls, line drawings and images of typical assemblies of optical components for each chapter. For each experiment he presents the key elements of the theory, a clear definition of the technical terms, the underlying mathematical description of the phenomena, real images of the phenomena, and graphs of the key parameters. The color figures of the instruments and light ray paths are invaluable.
The level of the experiments augments the 4th edition of Optical Physics. Selected references augment the chapters.
Barry R. Masters, Fellow of AAAS, OSA, and SPIE. 2021 Optics and Photonics News The Optical Society (USA)