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PHYS 4061/5061: Experimental Techniques in Laser Physics
Involves a selection of experiments in laser physics, with emphasis on techniques necessary for trapping neutral atoms with lasers. One lecture hour and one tutorial hour and two three hour laboratory sessions per week. Integrated with: GS/PHYS 5061 3.00.
Students taking this course can expect to use state of the art equipment and gain a working knowledge of conventional experimental techniques in atomic physics and laser spectroscopy. This background should be adequate preparation for working in research laboratories in related fields and industry related to photonics.
Prerequisites:
- SC/PHYS 2211 1.00 and SC/PHYS 2212 1.00, or SC/PHYS 2213 3.00
- SC/PHYS 2020 3.00
- SC/PHYS 2060 3.00
Corequisite:
- SC/PHYS 3040 6.00.
Course Director
Matthew George
122 Petrie
mgeorge@yorku.ca
Teaching Assistants
| Adam Carew | Kosuke Kato |
| Petrie | 309 PSE |
Schedule
| Labs | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Mondays and Tuesdays | Petrie 226 |
| Lecture | 3:30pm - 4:20pm | Fridays | CB 120 |
| Tutorial | 4:30pm - 5:20pm | Fridays | CB 120 |
| Office Hours | |||
| Course Director | 2:30pm - 3:30pm | Wednesdays | Petrie 122 |
| Teaching Assistants | T.B.D. | Fridays | T.B.D |
Grades
| Lab Reports | 65% |
| Homework | 10% |
| Final Exam: Written | 15% |
| Final Exam: Oral | 10% |
Course Content
Students will be exposed to common a data analysis tutorial (based on Mathematica) during the fIrst two weeks of the term. Subsequently, students will work in groups of two and cycle through 9 experiments related to laser spectroscopy. Since there are 10 groups of two, and only 9 experiments, each group will enjoy one week without performing a laboratory exercise. Note that this does not change the due date for your reports.
Laboratory work will include pre-lab exercises, data analysis, interpretation, and answers to specifIc questions in the manual. Reports do not require extensive written descriptions. Mathematica should be used for all data analysis.
The laboratory component of the course emphasizes experimental techniques related to laser spectroscopy and hands-on skills.
The lecture component introduces theoretical concepts related to instrumentation such as gas lasers, diode lasers, laser beam propagation, Fabry -Perot resonators, electro-optic modulators, acousto-optic modulators and optical detectors.
The tutorials cover theoretical concepts related to laboratory experiments.
