OPTICS AND ITS PROPERTIES PRESENTED BY

ADEBISI R. RICHARD
AFIT/21/PEE0011
1.0 INTRODUCTION:

Optics is a branch of physics that deals with the determination of behavior

and the properties of light, along with its interactions with the matter and
also with the instruments which are used to detect it.

Originally, the term optics was used only in relation to the eye and vision.
Later, as lenses and other devices for aiding vision began to be developed,
these were naturally called optical instruments, and the meaning of the
term optics eventually became broadened to cover any application of light,
even though the ultimate receiver is not the eye but a physical detector,
such as a photographic plate or a television camera. In the 20th century
optical methods came to be applied extensively to regions of the
electromagnetic radiation spectrum not visible to the eye, such as X-rays,
ultraviolet, infrared, and microwave radio waves, and to this extent these
regions are now often included in the general field of optic.

Fig. 1 Electromagnetic Spectrum.

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There are three major branches of optics, physical, geometrical and
quantum optics. Physical optics deals primarily with the nature and
properties of light itself. Geometrical optics has to do with the principles that
govern the image-forming properties of lenses, mirrors, and other devices
that make use of light. Quantum optics is a branch of atomic, molecular,
and optical physics dealing with how individual quanta of light, known as
photons, interact with atoms and molecules. It includes the study of the
particle-like properties of photons. Photons have been used to test many of
the counter-intuitive predictions of quantum mechanics, such as
entanglement and teleportation, and are a useful resource for quantum
information processing.

Figure 2, Quantum Optics Representation.

1.1 Light and Its Optical Properties

Light is a form of energy that is in the form of an electromagnetic wave and

is almost everywhere around us. The visible light has wavelengths
measuring between 400–700 nanometers. The Sun is the primary source
of light by which plants utilize this to produce their energy. Light exhibits
various properties which are given below:

1.1.2 Reflection

Reflection is one of the primary properties of light. Reflection is nothing but

the images you see in the mirrors. Reflection is defined as the change in

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direction of light at an interface in between two different media so that the
wave-front returns into a medium from which it was originated. The typical
examples for reflection of light include sound waves and water waves.

Figure 3, Reflection of Light.

1.1.3 Speed of light

The rate at which the light travels in free space is called the Speed of light.
For example, the light travels 30% slower in the water when compared to
vacuum.

1.1.4 Refraction

The bending of light when it passes from one medium to another is called
Refraction. This property of refraction is used in a number of devices like
microscopes, magnifying lenses, corrective lenses, and so on. In this
property, when the light is transmitted through a medium, polarization of
electrons takes place which in turn reduces the speed of light, thus
changing the direction of light.

1.1.5 Total Internal Reflection (TIR): When a beam of light strikes the
water, a part of the light is reflected, and some part of the light is refracted.
This phenomenon is called as Total internal reflection.

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1.1.6 Dispersion

It is a property of light, where the white light splits into its constituent colors.
Dispersion can be observed in the form of a prism.

The other properties of light include diffraction and interference.

1.2 Optical systems;

An optical system consists of a succession of elements, which may include

lenses, mirrors, light sources, detectors, projection screens, reflecting
prisms, dispersing devices, filters and thin films, and fiber-optics bundles.

1.2.1 Lenses

All optical systems have an aperture stop somewhere in the system to limit
the diameter of the beams of light passing through the system from an
object point. By analogy with the human eye, this limiting aperture stop is
called the iris of the system, its images in the object and image spaces
being called the entrance pupil and exit pupil, respectively.

1.2.2 Mirror

Mirrors are frequently used in optical systems. Plane mirrors may be

employed to bend a beam of light in another direction, either for
convenience or to yield an image reversed left for right if required. Curved
mirrors, concave and convex, may be used in place of lenses as image-
forming elements in reflecting telescopes. All of the world’s largest
telescopes and many small ones are of the reflecting type. Such telescopes
use a concave mirror to produce the main image, a small secondary mirror
often being added to magnify the image and to place it in a convenient
position for observation or photography.

1.2.3 Light sources

Many types of optical instruments form images by natural light, but some,
such as microscopes and projectors, require a source of artificial light.
Tungsten filament lamps are the most common, but if a very bright source
is required, a carbon or xenon arc is employed. For some applications,

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mercury or other gas discharge tubes are used; a laser beam is often
employed in scientific applications. Laser light is brilliant, monochromatic,
collimated (the rays are parallel), and coherent (the waves are all in step
with each other), any or all of these properties being of value in particular
cases.

1.3 Applications of Optics

The properties of optics are applied in various fields of Physics, which are
the following;

 The refraction phenomenon is applied in the case of lenses (Convex

and concave) for the purpose of forming an image of the object.
 Geometrical optics is used in studies of how the images form in an
optical system.
 In medical applications, it is used in the optical diagnosis of the
mysteries of the human body.
 It is used in the therapeutically and surgeries of the human tissues.
 Image formation through a random medium; and non-optical
holography, particularly acoustic holography.

1.4 Standard measurement of Light

The lighting industry uses several different units to measure light,

depending on what information is needed. Below are a few of the most
common units and terms:

1.4.1 Flux (Luminous Flux) - Originating from the Latin word 'Fluxes,'
meaning flow, flux is the amount of energy a light emits per second,
measured in lumens (lm).

1.4.2 Lumen (lm) - The SI unit of luminous flux, this is a unit of light flow.

1.4.3 Watt (W) - The unit of measuring electrical power, this is a

radiometric measurement.

1.4.4 Intensity of Light - the Quantity of visible light that is emitted in unit
time per unit solid angle.

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1.4.5 Candela (cd) - The SI base unit of luminous intensity. It is a unit of
luminous intensity of a light source in a definitive direction. 1 lumen = 1
candela x steradian (the SI unit of solid angle).

1.5 What is Photometry?

Photometry is the science of the measurement of light intensity, where

'light' refers to the total integrated range of radiation to which the eye is
sensitive. Photometry is distinguished from radiometry in which each
separate wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum is detected and
measured, including the ultraviolet and infrared.

1.5.1 Instrument used for Light measurement

1. Photometer; A photometer is an instrument that measures light intensity.

It can be defined as an instrument that measures visible light

Two types of photometers are:

I. Luminance meters - determine the visible energy output of a light

source. Luminance measurements are used for products such as
traffic lights and automobile tail lights.
II. Illuminance meters - measure the visible energy falling on an object's
surface.

2. Integrating Sphere

An integrating sphere collects electromagnetic radiation from a source

completely external to the optical device, usually for flux measurement or
optical attenuation.

3. Spectrometer

The basic function of a spectrometer is to take in light, break it into its

spectral components, digitize the signal as a function of wavelength, and
read it out and display it through a computer.

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4. Light Meter; A light meter is a device used to measure light levels. Light
level is the amount of light measured in a plane.

REFERENCES
1. Wikipedia

2. Optoelectronics semiconductor devices written by JOACHIN PIPREK

3. Optics – Optics and information theory/ Britannica

4. Optics measurement – ZapMeta

5. The ultimate Guide to Light Measurement by RICHARD J. BENSON.