Optics for Engineers

The field of optics has become central to major developments in medical imaging, remote sensing, communication, micro- and nanofabrication, and consumer technology, among other areas. Applications of optics are now found in products such as laser printers, bar-code scanners, and even mobile phones. There is a growing need for engineers to understand the principles of optics in order to develop new instruments and improve existing optical instrumentation. Based on a graduate course taught at Northeastern University, Optics for Engineers provides a rigorous, practical introduction to the field of optics. Drawing on his experience in industry, the author presents the fundamentals of optics related to the problems encountered by engineers and researchers in designing and analyzing optical systems.

Beginning with a history of optics, the book introduces Maxwell’s equations, the wave equation, and the eikonal equation, which form the mathematical basis of the field of optics. It then leads readers through a discussion of geometric optics that is essential to most optics projects. The book also lays out the fundamentals of physical optics—polarization, interference, and diffraction—in sufficient depth to enable readers to solve many realistic problems. It continues the discussion of diffraction with some closed-form expressions for the important case of Gaussian beams. A chapter on coherence guides readers in understanding the applicability of the results in previous chapters and sets the stage for an exploration of Fourier optics. Addressing the importance of the measurement and quantification of light in determining the performance limits of optical systems, the book then covers radiometry, photometry, and optical detection. It also introduces nonlinear optics.

This comprehensive reference includes downloadable MATLAB® code as well as numerous problems, examples, and illustrations. An introductory text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, it is also a useful resource for researchers and engineers developing optical systems.

Professor Charles A. DiMarzio is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

He holds a BS in engineering physics from the University of Maine, an MS in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts, and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Northeastern University. He spent 14 years at Raytheon Company’s Electro-Optics Systems Laboratory in coherent laser radar for air safety and meteorology. Among other projects there, he worked on an airborne laser radar, flown on the Galileo-II, to monitor airflow related to severe storms, pollution, and wind energy, and another laser radar to characterize the wake vortices of landing aircraft.

At Northeastern, he extended his interest in coherent detection to optical quadrature microscopy—a method of quantitative phase imaging with several applications, most notably assessment of embryo viability. His current interests include coherent imaging, confocal microscopy for dermatology and other applications, multimodal microscopy, spectroscopy and imaging in turbid media, and the interaction of light and sound in tissue. His research ranges from computational models, through system development and testing, to signal processing. He is also a founding member of Gordon-CenSSIS—the Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems.

Introduction
Why Optics?
History
Optical Engineering
Electromagnetics Background
Wavelength, Frequency, Power, and Photons
Energy Levels and Transitions
Macroscopic Effects
Basic Concepts of Imaging
Overview of the Book
Problems

Basic Geometric Optics
Snell’s Law
Imaging with a Single Interface
Reflection
Refraction
Simple Lens
Prisms
Reflective Systems
Problems

Matrix Optics
Matrix Optics Concepts
Interpreting the Results
The Thick Lens Again
Examples
Problems

Stops, Pupils, and Windows
Aperture Stop
Field Stop
Image-Space Example
Locating and Identifying Pupils and Windows
Examples
Problems

Aberrations
Exact Ray Tracing
Ellipsoidal Mirror
Seidel Aberrations and OPL
Spherical Aberration for a Thin Lens
Chromatic Aberration
Design Issues
Lens Design
Problems

Polarized Light
Fundamentals of Polarized Light
Behavior of Polarizing Devices
Interaction with Materials
Fresnel Reflection and Transmission
Physics of Polarizing Devices
Jones Vectors and Matrices
Partial Polarization
Problems

Interference
Mach-Zehnder Interferometer
Doppler Laser Radar
Resolving Ambiguities
Michelson Interferometer
Fabry-Perot Interferometer
Beamsplitter
Thin Films
Problems

Diffraction
Physics of Diffraction
Fresnel-Kirchhoff Integral
Paraxial Approximation
Fraunhofer Diffraction Equations
Some Useful Fraunhofer Patterns
Resolution of an Imaging System
Diffraction Grating
Fresnel Diffraction
Problems

Gaussian Beams
Equations for Gaussian Beams
Gaussian Beam Propagation
Six Questions
Gaussian Beam Propagation
Collins Chart
Stable Laser Cavity Design
Hermite-Gaussian Modes
Problems

Coherence
Definitions
Discrete Frequencies
Temporal Coherence
Spatial Coherence
Controlling Coherence
Summary
Problems

Fourier Optics
Coherent Imaging
Incoherent Imaging Systems
Characterizing an Optical System
Problems

Radiometry and Photometry
Basic Radiometry
Spectral Radiometry
Photometry and Colorimetry
Instrumentation
Blackbody Radiation
Problems

Optical Detection
Photons
Photon Statistics
Detector Noise
Photon Detectors
Thermal Detectors
Array Detectors

Nonlinear Optics
Wave Equations
Phase Matching
Nonlinear Processes

Appendix A Notation and Drawings for Geometric Optics
Appendix B Solid Angle
Appendix C Matrix Mathematics
Appendix D Light Propagation in Biological Tissue
Appendix E Useful Matrices
Appendix F Numerical Constants and Conversion Factors
Appendix G Solutions to Chapter Problems

References

Index