LEARNING OUTCOMES
The main objectives of this course is the specialization of students’ knowledge and the acquisition of skills in selected technological applications topics based on the interaction of radiation with matter, optical instruments and complex optical systems technologies, laser technologies and photonics.
Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:
- explain to non-experts the interaction of radiation with matter taking into account elements from quantum mechanics,
- design complex optical systems and identify their characteristics,
- critically evaluate the different types and technologies of lasers, their operation characteristics and their applications in industry, in telecommunications, in information technologies, in remote sensing and geoinformatics,
- identify the characteristics of fiber optics and evaluate their applications in optical communications,
- identify and critically evaluate interferometry techniques and their applications,
- determine the characteristics of spectrometers, radiation detection and spectral analysis technologies,
- analyze and take advantage of upcoming technological developments in the field of photonics and critically evaluate their effect on geoinformatics, information technologies and telecommunications,
- evaluate bibliographic sources for the study of research topics in various scientific areas of Optics and Lasers,
- collaborate with their colleagues for the preparation and presentation of an experimental project.
General Competences
- Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology
- Adapting to new situations
- Working independently
- Team work
- Decision-making
- Working in an interdisciplinary environment
- Production of new research ideas
SYLLABUS
Theoretical part:
- Advanced topics of geometrical optics, lenses, aberrations, composite optical systems, matrix theory.
- Radiation-Matter Interaction: introduction to the quantum structure of matter, optical properties of materials, energy zones, optical absorption mechanisms, fluorescence – spontaneous emission of radiation, scattering, refraction, reflection, polarization of light, Fresnel equations, atmospheric optics.
- Fiber optics & waveguides: light propagation, fiber optics and applications, optical communications, optical information transmission, optical modulation.
- Interference-Diffraction: optical coherence, interferometers and applications, diffraction (Fresnel and Fraunhofer), Fourier spectroscopy.
- Photometry, light sources and radiation laws.
- Optical instruments, detectors and applications: microscope, electron microscope, telescope, spectral analysis and applications, spectrographs, Fourier optics, light detection and recording systems, signal amplifiers, photomultipliers and ICCD devices, thermal imaging-thermography, hyperspectral cameras.
- Introduction to laser technology: Einstein coefficients, stimulated emission, amplification, population inversion, optical cavities resonators, properties of laser radiation, laser beam propagation.
- Laser systems: common laser types, continuous wave lasers, pulsed lasers, laser operation parameters, Q-switching, laser safety, non linear optics, laser applications, optical beam control technologies-laser scanners.
- Introduction to modern photonics, quantum optics, quantum computing, quantum computers, quantum cryptography.
Laboratory part:
Study of laser beam propagation properties, spectrometry of known and unknown light sources, safety – protection from laser radiation, laser scanners, laser beam interference and diffraction, optical communications – fiber optic cable signal attenuation and dispersion.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Assessment language: Greek (English for ERASMUS students upon request)
Performance evaluation method:
• Final Written Exam (60% of the final grade) of graded difficulty, which may include short-answer questions, open-ended questions and solving simple and complex problems.
• Evaluation of the individual research project and its presentation using ICT (20% of the final grade).
• Evaluation of laboratory work and its presentation using ICT (20% of the final grade).
The evaluation criteria have been presented to the students before the final examination. Students can see their evaluation upon request and receive clarifications on their grades.
ATTACHED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Suggested bibliography:
1. B. E. A. Saleh, M. C. Teich, 2007, Fundamentals of Photonics, Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons Ltd
2. Eugene Hecht, 2016. Optics, Pearson Education.
3. M. Young, 2000 , Optics and Lasers, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
4. Das, Pankaj K., 1991, Lasers and Optical Engineering, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
5. Charles A. DiMarzio, 2011, Optics for Engineers, CRC Press
Related academic journals:
1. Applied Optics, Optical Society of America Publishing
2. Advances in Optics and Photonics, Optical Society of America Publishing
3. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, IOP Publishing
4. Journal Of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics, IOP Publishing
5. IEEE Photonics Journal, IEEE
6. Laser Physics, IOP Publishing