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The spectrum of light is the primary link between optics and atomic physics and other sciences such as astrophysics. The basis for almost all instruments for spectral analysis is, again, interference.
Light and Optics: We just learned that light is a wave (an "electromagnetic wave", with very small wavelength). But in many cases, you can safely ignore the wave nature of light! Light was studied for a long time (obviously), long before Maxwell, and very well understood. People thought about light as sort of like a
Light propagates inside the fibre, which is made of glass which has a higher refractive index than the air outside. Since the fibre is very thin, the light beam inside strikes the interface at a large angle of incidence, large enough that it is reflected back into the glass and is not lost outside. Thus fibres can guide light beams in any
Newton proposed that light consists of little masses. This means that a horizontal beam of light near the earth is undergoing projectile motion, and forms a parabola. The straight line we observe is due to the fact that the speed of the particles is so great. In one microsecond, light travels 300 m.
This book provides an introduction to the eld of optics from a physics perspective. It focuses primarily on the wave and ray descriptions of light, but also includes a brief intro-duction to the quantum description of light. Topics covered include re ection and trans-
The Ray Model of Light. Light very often travels in straight lines. We represent light using rays, which are straight lines emanating from an object. This is an idealization, but is very useful for geometric optics. Reflection.
Physics of Light and Optics is a free high-quality textbook for an advanced undergraduate optics course for physics majors.
