PHY3037 : Photonics
- Offered for Year: 2021/22
- Module Leader(s): Professor Noel Healy
- Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
Aims
To introduce the fundamentals of light matter interaction.
To provide an introduction to optical communications through optical fibres to allow a basic level of design calculation and evaluation to be performed.
To provide an understanding of the fundamental principles of light amplification and the laser.
To impart a broad appreciation of the plethora of modern applications of photonics and the most important emerging topics in this field.
Outline Of Syllabus
The nature of light:
Wave descriptions. Photon description and phenomena (photoelectric effect, momentum, interaction with matter), Kramers–Kronig relations. Description of light in terms of polarization, coherence, mono/polychromatic and Jones vectors & matrices.
Light generation:
LEDs & Lasers; Einstein A and B coefficients, rate equations, population inversion, gain and losses, resonators, laser threshold, 3 and 4 level systems, cavity modes and mode locking.
Basics of waveguides and optical fibres:
Waveguide structure, single and multimode fibres, dispersion, transmission characteristics.
Advanced topics:
Nonlinear optics, quantum optics, nano-photonics and plasmonics
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Asynchronous lecture material |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 37 | 1:00 | 37:00 | Completion of in course assignments/ examination revision |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Formal Lectures – Present in Person |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 41 | 1:00 | 41:00 | Preparation time for lectures, background reading, coursework review |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Synchronous On Line problem class |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures are used for the delivery of theory and explanation of methods, illustrated with examples, and for giving general feedback on marked work.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 100 | N/A |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
A substantial formal unseen examination is appropriate for the assessment of the material in this module.
In the event of on-campus examinations not being possible, an on-line alternative assessment will be used for written examination 1.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHY3037's Timetable