Electromagnetic field and waves

• The different models (geometrical optics / scalar wave optics / electromagnetic optics) 
• Maxwell’s equations and boudary conditions
• Energy density and Poynting vector
• Monochromatic fields
• Wave equation and Helmholtz equation
• Plane waves

Ray optics

• Ray model of light propagation
• Ray-transfer matrix (ABCD)
• ABCD matrices of basic components (lens, uniform medium, planar dielectric interface, curved dielectric interface, spherical mirror) and their cascade

Reading Assignments

Chapter 1 (§ 1.0-1.4) + Chapter 2 (§ 2.0-2.1) from Yariv's book (Photonics)

Paraxial beams

• Paraxial wave equation
• Gaussian beams as solution of the paraxial wave equation

Gaussian beams

• Key parameters of a Gaussian beam and their physical properties (beam intensity, width, divergence, wavefront curvature, Gouy phase shift)
• q-parameter and ABCD law for Gaussian beams 
• Higher order Gaussian beam modes
• Elliptic Gaussian beams

Reading Assignments

Chapter 2 (§ 2.4-2.6, 2.8, 2.11) in Yariv's 'Photonics' book.

Optical waveguides

• Optical guidance basic principle,
• Waveguide geometries and definitions.
• Helmholtz equation and guided modes
• Planar waveguides and optical fibres

Dielectric slab waveguides

• TE and TM modes
• The step index waveguide
• Propagation constants (Ray picture and EM picture)
• Field distributions (EM picture)
• Number of modes and cutoff 
• Propagation losses

Reading Assignments

Chapter 3: §3.0-introduction, §3.1-TE and TM modes in symmetric slab waveguides, §3.2-TE and TM modes in asymmetric slab waveguides.

Resonator features

• Energy storage - spectral filtering
• Resonator modes and mode density

Plane mirror resonators

• Resonator modes
• Axial resonances
• Cavity losses and their figure of merit (fractional loss, cavity photon lifetime, Q-factor, finesse)

Spherical mirror resonators

• Resonator modes
• Axial and transverse resonances
• Stability condition
• Diffraction losses

Reading Assignments

Chapter 4 (§ 4.0-4.1 up to 'intracavity field' (excluded), § 4.3-4.7) in Yariv's book (Photonics)

Atom-photon interaction

• Classical electron model
• Complex susceptibility and refractive index
• Dispersion and absorption
• Lineshape function
• Homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening

Transition rates

• Absorption, stimulated and spontanoeus emisstion
• Transition lifetime
• Einstein's coefficients
• Induced transition rates
• Optical gain

Reading Assignments

Chapter 5: §5.0-introduction, §5.1-Atomic transitions and EM waves, §5.2-Atomic polarizability and dielectric constant, §5.3- Classical electron model, §5.4-Dispersion and complex refractive index, §5.5-Lineshape function, §5.6-Induced transitions, from Yariv's book (Photonics)