Course overview
This course will introduce fundamental and applied principles of materials for optical engineering. This will include photonic crystal structures, principles of light-matter interactions and light modulation and control. The course will cover fundamental and applied concepts of photonics engineering and will be delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorials. The course should highlight the significance of optical materials engineering in modern society and contextualise the selection of engineering materials on the basis of their characteristics and end use applications.
Course learning outcomes
- Understand fundamentals of light-matter interactions, polarisation, superposition, reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, the electromagnetic spectrum, light sources and safety, black-body radiation, and telecommunications via optical fibres.
- Understand the basic properties of optical materials to be able to perform the right selection of materials for specific photonics industrial applications.
- Discuss the basic engineering principles of optical engineering processes.
- Apply optical analysis and select appropriate materials for specific optical applications.