Physics 213: Introduction to Modern Optics

Fall 2026 Course schedule (updated 8/1/2026)

Week	Material covered	Assignments
Aug. 26 - Aug. 28 (short week)	Introduction to optics Brief(est) optics timeline (8/26) Intro to ray optics (8/28)	No homework
Aug. 31 - Sep. 4	Ray optics, reflection and refraction, lenses Refraction, total internal reflection (8/31) Image formation with a converging lens (9/2) Image formation with a divergin lens (9/4)	No homework
Sep. 7 - Sep. 11	Labor Day (Sep. 7; no classes) Systems of lenses and mirrors System of lenses; Matrix ray transformation descritpion (9/9) Wikipedia list of ABCD matrices Microscopes and telescopes (9/11) DIY cell phone microscope	Homework #1 (due Sept. 11) Solutions
Sep. 14 - Sep. 18	Optical instruments, Electromagnetic waves Optical aberrations: fundamentals, in photography, in astrophotography (9/14) Electromagnetic wave basics (9/16), solar sail (9/16) Polarization of light, Malus law (9/18)	Homework #2 (due Sept. 18) Solutions
Sep. 21 - Sep. 25	Electromagnetic waves, light polarization Transmission and reflection of polarized light, Brewster angle Polarization control 9/25 Guest lecture by Eliot Dudik (WM, photography)	Homework #3 (due Sept. 25) Solutions Special project #1 (due Sept. 25), Students' artwork
Sep. 28 - Oct. 2	Wave optics Pre-midterm review (9/28) Midterm test #1 (Sept. 30) Solutions Two-slit interference and diffraction gratings (10/02)	No homework
Oct. 5 - Oct. 9	Interference applications Interferometers, thin film interference (10/05 and 10/07) Veritasium original two-slit experiment reconstruction Fall Break (no class on Oct. 9)	No homework
Oct. 12 - Oct. 16	Diffraction and Classical electromagnetic theory	Homework #4 (due Oct. 16) Special project #2 (due Oct. 16)
Oct. 19 - Oct. 23	Light in matter: scattering, absorption and dispersion 10/23 Guest lecture by Kelly Herbst (VLM)	Homework #5 Due Oct. 23
Oct. 26 - Oct. 30	Nonlinear optics	Homework #6 Due Oct. 30
Nov. 2 - Nov. 6	Quantum behavior of light Midterm test #2 (Nov. 4)	No homework
Nov. 9 - Nov. 13	Quantum behavior of light and atoms 11/11 Guest lecture by Stephen Shellman (astrophotographer)	Homework #7 Due Nov. 13
Nov. 16 - Nov. 20	Spectroscopy and origins of colors	Homework #8 Special project #3 Due Nov. 20
Nov. 23 - Nov. 27	Photons as qubits (virtual) Thanksgiving break begins Nov. 25	No homework
Nov. 30 - Dec. 4	Optical quantum technologies	Homework #9 Due Dec. 4
Dec. 14	Final exam (9am-12pm)