Waves and Optics

Contents: Preface. 1- Superposition of Collinear Harmonic Oscillators 2- Superposition of Two Perpendicular Harmonic Oscillations 3- Wave Motion: General 4- Wave Motion in a String 5- Velocity of Waves 6- Fluids 7- Sound 8- Wave Optics 9- Interference of Light 10- Interferometers 11- Diffraction Theory 12- Fraunhofer Diffraction 13- Fresnel Diffraction 14- Polarisation 15- Laser 16- Holography Index. Wave optics, also called physical optics, deals with studying various phenomena such as polarization, diffraction, interference and other occurrences where ray approximation of geometric optics cannot be done. Thus, the section of optics that deals with the behavior of light and its wave characteristics is said to be wave optics. The book has been divided into 16 chapters: superposition of collinear harmonic oscillators, superposition of two perpendicular harmonic oscillations, wave motion-general, wave motion in a string, velocity of waves, fluids, sound, wave optics, interference, interferometers, diffraction theory, Fraunhofer diffraction, Fresnel diffraction, polarization, laser and holography. …