OPTI 380A: Intermediate Optics Laboratory

  • Last Update: August 23, 2016

Course Objectives

The main objectives for this Junior-level undergraduate lab are to understand the basics of physical optics, interference, diffraction, detectors, laser cavities, and the electro-optical properties of gas and semiconductor lasers.  A variety of optical lab techniques will also be taught.

General Lab Information

Lab-Specific Information

Lab 1: Semiconductor Light Sources

Lab 2: Detectors

Lab 3: CD-ROM Player

Lab 4: Wave Motion

Lab 5: Fresnel Reflection

Lab 6 – Polarization

Lab 7 – Interference: Division of Wavefront

Lab 8 – Interference: Division of Amplitude

Lab 9 – Michelson Interferometer

Lab 10 – Laser Cavities

Lab 11 – Diffraction

Lab 12 – Project Lab

Supplementary Lectures and Instructional Videos

Project Lab Videos

Each year, student groups work on a final project lab, which is on a topic that they choose.  Part of the project lab requirements is to make a video report on what they learned.  The videos below are posted with permission of the students on their YouTube channels.

The video list below starts in 2015.  As of August 2016, permission forms from previous years have either been misplaced or have not been received, so they can’t be posted.  If alumni from previous years would like their video posted, please contact Prof. Milster.  Most of the videos from previous years are also excellent, and it would serve the public well to post them here.

2015

2016