Introduction to Optics

Frank L. Pedrotti, SJ (1932–2010) was a member of the Society of Jesus and served on the faculty at a number of institutions including Marquette University from 1977–1994. He received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cincinnati in 1962. His research areas included solid state physics and laser optics and he taught and developed courses across the undergraduate curriculum. His course notes served as the basis for the first edition of the text Introduction to Optics that he co-authored with his brother, Leno S. Pedrotti. Leno M. Pedrotti is a Professor of Physics at the University of Dayton, where he joined the faculty in 1987, after completing his Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico in 1986. He has published papers on a variety of topics in theoretical quantum optics, including the quantum theory of the laser, microcavity lasers, nonclassical states of light, and atom/field/cavity interactions. He has taught courses that span the undergraduate physics curriculum as well as selected graduate electro-optics courses. Leno S. Pedrotti (1927–2008) was a Professor of Physics at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President at the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). He earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cincinnati in 1961. He joined AFIT in 1951, where he served as chair of the Physics Department from 1964–1982. At CORD he spearheaded the development of technical education materials for high-school and college students. His research areas included solid state physics and laser optics. He was a fellow of the Optical Society of America.

Part I: 1. Nature of light; 2. Geometrical optics; 3. Optical instrumentation; 4. Wave equations; 5. Superposition of waves; 6. Properties of lasers; 7. Interference of light; 8. Optical interferometry; 9. Coherence; 10. Fiber optics; 11. Fraunhofer diffraction; 12. The diffraction grating; 13. Fresnel diffraction; 14. Matrix treatment of polarization; 15. Production of polarized light; Part II: 16. Holography; 17. Optical detectors and displays; 18. Matrix methods in paraxial optics; 19. Optics of the eye; 20. Aberration theory; 21. Fourier optics; 22. Theory of multilayer films; 23. Fresnel equations; 24. Nonlinear optics and the modulation of light; 25. Optical properties of materials; 26. Laser operation; 27. Characteristics of laser beams; 28. Selected modern applications; References; Answers to selected problems; Index.