Relativity, Optics and Waves


course ID

Lecturer

CFU

8

Length

14 Weeks

Semester DD

Second


Course details

-Galilean Relativity

- Physics at the end of the XIX century

- The Michelson-Morley experiment

- Einstein postulates

- Lorentz transformations

- Relativistic dynamics

- Relativity and Electromagnetism

- Covariant form of the electromagnetism

- Covariance of the Maxwell equation

- Wave phenomena

- D'Alembert equation

- Plane waves

- Elastic waves in a solid bar, elastic waves in a stretched string, waves in gases

- Harmonic plane waves and Fourier Analysis

- Polarization

- Energy Propagation, wave intensity

- Beats

- Waves in three dimensions

- Wave packets, phase and group velocities

-Doppler Effect and shock wave

-Electromagnetic waves

- Electromagnetic plane waves

- Polarization

- Energy

- Poynting vector and Poynting theorem

- Radiation pressure

- Oscillating dipole and Larmor Formula

- Radiation emitted by atoms, light diffusion

- Propagation of e.m. wave in a dielectric medium

- Relativistic Doppler effect and Cerenkov effect

- Reflection and refraction of waves

- Huygens principle and Kirchhoff theorem

- Laws of reflection and refraction

- Snell's Law, Brewster angle and total reflection

-Fresnel formulas

-Interference phenomena

- Interference produced by two sources

- Young's Experiment

- Optical path

- Lloyd mirror

- Interference of N coherent sources

- Interference on thin layer, Newton's rings

- Standing waves in a stretched string with fixed ends

- Tightrope with a free end

-Diffraction

- Diffraction of Fraunhofer and Fresnel

- Diffraction at a slit

- Diffraction by hole and disc

- Resolving limit of lens and the human eye separation power

- Diffraction grating

- Resolving power and a dispersive grating

- Fresnel Diffraction, case of a circular hale

- Geometrical Optics

- Definitions and conventions

- Mirrors

- Diopters

- Thin lenses

- Thick lenses and Centred optical systems

- Optical aberrations

- Fermat principle

Objectives

tba