1 A BRIEF HISTORY 1
1.1 Prolegomenon 1
1.2 In the beginning 1
1.3 From the seventeenth century 2
1.4 The nineteenth century 5
1.5 Twentieth-century optics 8
2 THE MATHEMATICS OF WAVE MOTION 11
2.1 One-dimensional waves 11
2.2 Harmonic waves 13
2.3 Phase and phase velocity 15
2.4 The complex representation 17
2.5 Plane waves 19
2.6 The three-dimensional differential wave equation 21
2.7 Spherical waves 22
2.8 Cylindrical waves 24
2.9 Scalar and vector waves 26
3 ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY，PHOTONS，AND LIGHT 30
3.1 Basic laws of electromagnetic theory 30
3.2 Electromagnetic waves 34
3.3 Nonconducting media 37
3.4 Energy and momentum 45
3.5 Radiation 48
4 THE PROPAGATION OF LIGHT 60
4.1 Introduction 60
4.2 The laws of reflection and refraction 60
4.3 The electromagnetic approach 71
4.4 Familiar aspects of the interaction of light and matter 89
4.5 The Stokes treatment of reflection and refraction 91
4.6 Photons and the laws of reflection and refraction 93
5 GEOMETRIC OPTICS—PARAXIAL THEORY 99
5.1 Introductory remarks 99
5.2 Lenses 100
5.3 Stops 116
5.4 Mirrors 120
5.5 Prisms 128
5.6 Fiber optics 135
5.7 Optical systems 138
6 MORE ON GEOMETRICAL OPTICS 167
6.1 Thick lenses and lens systems 167
6.2 Analytical ray tracing 170
6.3 Aberrations 175
7 THE SUPERPOSITION OF WAVES 196
The Addition of Waves of the Same Frequency 196
7.1 The algebraic method 196
7.2 The complex method 199
7.3 Phasor addition 200
7.4 Standing waves 200
The Addition of Waves of Different Frequency 202
7.5 Beats 202
7.6 Group velocity 204
7.7 Anharmonic periodic waves—Fourier analysis 205
7.8 Nonperiodic waves—Fourier integrals 211
7.9 Pulses and wave packets 211
7.10 Optical bandwidths 214
8 POLARIZATION 219
8.1 The nature of polarized light 219
8.2 Polarizers 225
8.3 Dichroism 226
8.4 Birefringence 230
8.5 Scattering and polarization 239
8.6 Polarization by reflection 244
8.7 Retarders 246
8.8 Circular polarizers 252
8.9 Polarization of polychromatic light 253
8.10 Optical activity 255
8.11 Induced optical effects—optical modulators 260
8.12 A mathematical description of polarization 266
9 INTERFERENCE 276
9.1 General considerations 276
9.2 Conditions for interference 279
9.3 Wavefront-splitting interferometers 281
9.4 Amplitude-splitting interferometers 286
9.5 Dielectric films—double-beam interference 294
9.6 Types and localizations of interference fringes 301
9.7 Multiple-beam interference 301
9.8 The Fabry-Perot interferometer 307
9.9 Applications of single and multiplayer films 311
9.10 Applications of interferometry 316
9.11 The rotating Sagnac interferometer 323
10 DIFFRACTION 329
10.1 Preliminary considerations 329
10.2 Fraunhofer diffraction 336
10.3 Fresnel diffraction 364
10.4 Kirchhoff’s scalar diffraction theory 388
10.5 Boundary diffraction waves 392
11 FOURIER OPTICS 397
11.1 Introduction 397
11.2 Fourier transforms 397
11.3 Optical applications 403
12 BASICS OF COHERENCE THEORY 424
12.1 Introduction 424
12.2 Visibility 426
12.3 The mutual coherence function and the degree of coherence 432
12.4 Coherence and stellar interferometry 435
13 SOME ASPECTS OF THE QUANTUM NATURE OF LIGHT 442
13.1 Quantum fields 442
13.2 Blackbody radiation—Planck’s quantum hypothesis 442
13.3 The photoelectric effect—Einstein’s photon concept 444
13.4 Particles and waves 448
13.5 Probability and wave optics 450
13.6 Fermat，Feynman，and photons 453
13.7 Absorption，emission，and scattering 455
14 SUNDRY TOPICS FROM CONTEMPORARY OPTICS 462
14.1 Imagery___the spatial distribution of optical information 462
14.2 Lasers and laser light 481
14.3 Holography 490
14.4 Nonlinear optics 502
Appendix 1 509
Appendix 2 512
Table 1 514
Solutions to Selected Problems 520
Bibliography 544
Index of Tables 550
Index 551