This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5601, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.
This course is part of the Optical Engineering Specialization
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Optical Engineering SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderAbout this Course
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100% online
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Course 2 of 3 in the
Advanced Level
Approx. 21 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
Learner Career Outcomes
50%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 2 of 3 in the
Advanced Level
Approx. 21 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
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.
Start working towards your Master's degree
This course is part of the 100% online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado Boulder.
If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
5 hours to complete
Geometrical 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, a specific example of how the shape of the light evolves in an imaging system.
5 hours to complete
12 videos (Total 80 min), 2 readings, 4 quizzes
4 hours to complete
Maxwell'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.
4 hours to complete
8 videos (Total 51 min), 2 readings, 3 quizzes
3 hours to complete
Impulse 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.
3 hours to complete
10 videos (Total 61 min)
6 hours to complete
Finite 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.
6 hours to complete
11 videos (Total 90 min)
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM OPTICAL EFFICIENCY AND RESOLUTION
by YSJul 19, 2019
The content is good, and the instructor is very responsive through email. Though I think the capstone is not as challenging as the first course.
by JLMay 19, 2021
no channel to communicate with instructors. Only students write in the forum. This limits the amount of learning.
by ODNov 14, 2018
The lab demonstrations were very helpful and the explanations of complex phenomena were very easy to understand.
by FHJun 21, 2019
The course content is good. But the instructors had not been responsive to any question posted on the forum.
About the Optical Engineering Specialization
The courses in this specialization can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5600-5602, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Enroll here.
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