Optics for Engineers

The increased importance of the field of optics has increased the need for engineers to understand its fundamental principles. This book presents the underlying concepts and their applications for engineers who need a practical understanding of how the basic principles of optics affect design decisions.

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The field of optics has become central to major developments in medical imaging, remote sensing, communication, micro- and nanofabrication, and consumer technology, among other areas. Applications of optics are now found in products such as laser printers, bar-code scanners, and even mobile phones. There is a growing need for engineers to understand the principles of optics in order to develop new instruments and improve existing optical instrumentation. Based on a graduate course taught at Northeastern University, Optics for Engineers provides a rigorous, practical introduction to the field of optics. Drawing on his experience in industry, the author presents the fundamentals of optics related to the problems encountered by engineers and researchers in designing and analyzing optical systems.

Beginning with a history of optics, the book introduces Maxwell’s equations, the wave equation, and the eikonal equation, which form the mathematical basis of the field of optics. It then leads readers through a discussion of geometric optics that is essential to most optics projects. The book also lays out the fundamentals of physical optics—polarization, interference, and diffraction—in sufficient depth to enable readers to solve many realistic problems. It continues the discussion of diffraction with some closed-form expressions for the important case of Gaussian beams. A chapter on coherence guides readers in understanding the applicability of the results in previous chapters and sets the stage for an exploration of Fourier optics. Addressing the importance of the measurement and quantification of light in determining the performance limits of optical systems, the book then covers radiometry, photometry, and optical detection. It also introduces nonlinear optics.

This comprehensive reference includes downloadable MATLAB® code as well as numerous problems, examples, and illustrations. An introductory text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, it is also a useful resource for researchers and engineers developing optical systems.