This course is part of the Optical Engineering Specialization
Optical Efficiency and Resolution
Offered By
About this Course
Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems with simple mathematical and graphical techniques. The first order optical system design covered in the previous course is useful for the initial design of an optical imaging system but does not predict the energy and resolution of the system. This course discusses the propagation of intensity for Gaussian beams and incoherent sources. It also introduces the mathematical background required to design an optical system with the required field of view and resolution. You will also learn how to analyze these characteristics of your optical system using an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Geometrical Optics for Gaussian Beams
First order optical system design using rays is useful for the initial design of an optical imaging system, but does not predict the energy and resolution of the system. This module introduces Gaussian beams, an specific example of how the shape of the light evolves in an imaging system.
12 videos (Total 80 min), 2 readings, 4 quizzes
12 videos
Light has a shape3m
The Gaussian beam11m
The Gaussian q parameter4m
The evolution of the q parameter10m
Gaussian Beam Propagation Lab Demo3m
Ray tracing Gaussian beams9m
Examples of ray tracing Gaussian beams7m
Do Gaussian beams obey imaging?8m
The Lagrange invariant4m
The post-doc's tale4m
Design of a fiber to fiber coupler7m
2 readings
Course overview5m
Tools and Resources10m
4 practice exercises
Gaussian Beam Practice Problems20m
Gaussian Beam OpticStudio Practice4m
Practice Problem15m
Gaussian Beams45m
Week
2Maxwell's Equations
This module provides the background for the full electro-magnetic field description of optical systems, including a description of plane and spherical waves and a formal treatment of reflection and refraction from this perspective. We start out with a quick review of the mathematical background for this description. This will be fairly short, but you may want to spend some more time reviewing these concepts on your own if you have not seen them for a while.
8 videos (Total 51 min), 1 reading, 3 quizzes
8 videos
Lorentz oscillator10m
Wave equation3m
Plane waves4m
Spatial frequency9m
Spherical waves2m
Fresnel coefficients7m
Brewster's Angle Laboratory Demonstration5m
1 reading
Spatial Frequency Introduction10m
3 practice exercises
Absorption Practice10m
Practice Problems15m
Maxwell's Equationsm
Week
3Impulse Responses and Transfer Functions
This module provides an introduction to the basics of Fourier Optics, which are used to determine the resolution of an imaging system. We will discuss a few Fourier Transforms that show up in standard optical systems in the first subsection and use these to determine the system resolution, and then discuss the differences between coherent and incoherent systems and impulse responses and transfer functions in the second subsection. We will wrap up with a discussion of these concepts using OpticStudio.
10 videos (Total 61 min), 2 quizzes
10 videos
Fourier Transform of the Gaussian Beam4m
The Airy disk6m
Cutoff Frequency5m
The coherent transfer function4m
The relation of impulse response and transfer function5m
Incoherent impulse response4m
Optical transfer function4m
Summary6m
Implementation in OpticStudio10m
2 practice exercises
Airy Disk OpticStudio Practice20m
Impulse Responsesm
Week
4Finite Aperture Optics
This module takes the concepts of pupils and resolution that we have discussed in the previous modules and works through how to apply them to our first-order optical design systems. We start with a description of how to find the system pupils and windows, then move on to a discussion of how that affects the imaging properties of this system, and finally return to the Lagrange invariant and its utility in optical system design.
11 videos (Total 90 min), 2 quizzes
11 videos
Field stop and windows8m
Lyot stop6m
Stops Laboratory Demonstration4m
Effective NA and F#7m
Depth of focus9m
Vignetting6m
Telecentric imaging4m
Lagrange invariant8m
Resolvability12m
Example and Phase Space13m
2 practice exercises
Finite Aperture Practice30m
Fine Aperture Opticsm
Instructors
Amy Sullivan
Research AssociateElectrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Robert McLeod
ProfessorElectrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
About University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
About the Optical Engineering Specialization
Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems with simple graphical techniques, then transform those pencil and paper designs to include real optical components including lenses, diffraction gratings and prisms. You will learn how to enter these designs into an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax, to analyze and improve performance with powerful automatic optimization methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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