Related papers: Optics undergraduate experiments using smart (and …
The analysis of the colour of artificial lights at night has an impact on diverse fields, but current data sources have either limited resolution or scarce availability of images for a specific region. In this work, we propose crowdsourced…
Angular momentum and torque are important principles for basic and applied physics on any spatial scales, for example, in elementary particles, cold gases, optical tweezers, quantum information technology, metamaterials, gyroscopes or…
Borrowing methods and formulas from Prof. Goodman's classic Introduction to Fourier Optics textbook [1], I have developed a software package [2] that has been used in both industrial research and classroom teaching [3]. This paper briefly…
Magic windows (or mirrors) consist of optical devices with a surface deformation or thickness distribution devised in such a way to form a desired image. The associated image intensity distribution has been shown to be related to the…
Interfering liquid surface waves are generated by electrically driven vertical oscillations of two or more equispaced pins immersed in a liquid (water). The corresponding intensity distribution, resulting from diffraction of monochromatic…
Quantifying the optical chirality of a sample requires the precise measurement of the rotation of the plane of linear polarisation of the transmitted light. Central to this notion is that the sample needs to be exposed to light of a defined…
Implementing a laboratory activity involves a complex interplay among learning goals, available resources, feedback about the existing course, best practices for teaching, and an overall philosophy about teaching labs. Building on our…
We describe a series of experiments done using a commercially available optical pumping apparatus that is currently being used in physics teaching labs at over one hundred universities. Our focus here is to provide an extensive and detailed…
Some modified two-slit interference experiments were carried out showing an apparent paradox in wave-particle duality. In a typical such experiment, the screen, where the interference pattern is supposed to be formed, is replaced by a…
Optical lattice clocks (OLCs) enable us to measure time and frequency with a fractional uncertainty at $10^{-18}$ level, which is 2 orders of magnitude better than Cs clocks. In this article, after briefly reviewing OLCs and the history of…
A microscope based on the Linnik interferometer was designed, built, and tested. Two methods were used for interference pattern measurement: phase-shifting and polarized single-shot methods. The former uses a low coherence light emitting…
An experiment for the advanced undergraduate laboratory allowing students to directly observe the effect of photon polarisation on Compton scattering is described. An initially unpolarised beam of photons is polarised via Compton scattering…
Partially coherent light beams are encountered both in classical and in quantum optics. Their coherence properties generally depend on the correlation properties of their sources. In this paper, we propose a technique for controlling the…
Throughout all years of study, students of physics are confronted with the question 'what exactly is light?' - a question that is impossible to answer correctly and, therefore, continuously discussed within the framework of models. Numerous…
Many optical measurement techniques, such as light scattering from wavelength-scale particles or detecting motion from a surface with an optical lever, encode information in a complex radiation pattern. Extracting all available information…
We consider the issue of validating the relationship between electric fields and optical intensity as proposed by the classical theory of electromagnetism. We describe an interference scenario in which this can be checked using only…
Concave mirrors are fundamental optical elements, yet some easily observed behaviors are rarely addressed in standard textbooks, such as the formation of multiple reflected images. Here we investigate self-imaging -- where the observer is…
Photonic lanterns are an important enabling technology for astrophotonics with a wide range of potential applications including fibre Bragg grating OH suppression, integrated photonic spectrographs and fibre scramblers for high resolution…
We experimentally demonstrate an interferometric protocol for multiplexing optical states of light, with potential to become a standard element in free-space communication schemes that utilize light endowed with orbital angular momentum…
We are using a laser pointer as a light source, and metersticks as an optical branch and the screen for wave optics experiments. It is shown the setup for measurements of wavelength of laser light and rating radial spacing of the CD,…