PHYS 331 A: Optics Laboratory

SLN  13200

Instructor: Matt Depies (mrdepies@uw.edu)
Office hours: Tuesday 12:00-1:00 pm
Email: mrdepies@uw.edu

Lab Manager: David Pengra (dbpengra@uw.edu)
Office: PAB B256
Phone: 543-4783

TAs:

Tanner Rase

Hao Geng

Lectures and Lab Sections

Lecture Time: Wednesday, 12:40-1:40pm ONLINE.
Labs: Wednesday, 2:20-5:40pm ONLINE.

Tentative Schedule of Lectures and Labs

Course Materials

The text book for this course is Optics, 5th ed., by Eugene Hecht (Pearson, 2016).

You will also need some form of notebook for taking notes during lecture and while watching experiments. The labs themselves will be done online and submitted as a PDF document.

The information below is mostly given for completeness. Much of the course has changed due to being online. I will note when something is for reference only or may be changed.

Course Handouts:

• Overview of Experiments
• Lab Practices and Safety (reference only)
• Lab Report Grading Standards
• Pre-Lab Assignment Example

Additional Handouts:

• Statistics Summary: A quick list of the most common formulas used in error calucations.
• Notes on Data Analysis and Experimental Uncertainty: An elementary treatment with many useful hints, by David Pengra and L. T. Dillman (Ohio Wesleyan University).
• Examples of Error Propagation: From the University of Chicago
• Notes on making a least-squares fit to a line in Microsoft Excel: Covers the use of the LINEST function, which will give fit coefficients and their uncertainties based upon the scatter of the data about the fit line.
• LSQFit.xls: An Excel spreadsheet that will calculate a fit line using full weighting of uncertainties. Also calculates the reduced χ² and fit parameter correlations. From the Methods of Experimental Physics course at the University of Minnesota (written by Kurt Wick).

Videos

Introduction to Physics 331 Lab (reference only)
Optics-Table Basics (reference only)

Experiments: You will be doing the 5 experiments below.  Experiments Overview gives a brief description of each.

1. Speed of Light
2. Concave Diffraction Grating
3. Fraunhofer and Fresnel Diffraction
4. Michelson Interferometer

Other experiments (offered in the in-person version of the class):

• Fabry-Perot Interferometer (reference only, not done)
• Reflection from an Air-Dielectric Interface (reference only, not done)
• Faraday Rotation (reference only, not done)
• Holography (reference only, not done)

Pre-Lab Assignments: Except for the Speed of Light experiment, you must submit pre-lab assignments in PDF file (according to the format specified in lecture) due before lecture on the day you perform your experiments.  The pre-lab assignment is a one page write up, including your understanding of the purpose of the experiment, the outline of experimental procedures, the physical quantities you are going to measure directly, and the physical quantities you will derive from the measurements.  Late submissions will be awarded no credit.

Click here to view a sample pre-lab assignment

Lab Reports: As this class is now all online, we may need to make modifications to how the labs are graded. Please note that below is our standard procedure, and may require modification as the quarter goes on. Mostly what you will be doing with the labs is describing what you see as Dr. David Pengra performs the lab experiments on video, and then doing the data analysis. Still, it is important to write down the procedures so you have an idea about how the experiments were set up and performed.

• Lab data analysis: Each lab will require two lab sessions. The first will be a discussion of what the lab is about. For the second session you will be required to bring your data, calculations, and graphs to be discussed with the lab TA's.  In order to facilitate this you will be assigned a group (we'll call it the "in class" group) with which to interact with the lab TA's and instructor. This grouping is mandated to facilitate help, it is not mandated that you work with them in general. If you do have a group to work with we will make sure this group (we'll call this your "study" group) is also your in class group.
• Lab submission: Students will submit lab reports  in PDF file according to the format specified in the Lab Report Grading Standards handout for all performed experiments. Submissions will be made online using canvas. 

Group members may work separately or together on lab reports if desired. Students will turn in their own lab reports regardless of group size. All group members must be noted when a lab is turned in.

Lab reports are due two weeks after you complete each experiment. Late submissions will be penalized at 5% per late day, including weekends, but not including holidays. The last day for lab report submission is Wednesday the last week of class.

Lecture questions / homework: You will be required to complete a short reading and potentially a pre-lecture assignment. Each week you will also have a short homework assignment covering the lecture material. There will also be in-lecture questions done either in groups or individually. This will be discussed further in lecture.

Exam: There will be one exam to be given on the last day of lecture. It will cover material presented in lectures. It may also be presented in video format. This will be discussed in lecture and updated here. Stay tuned.

Grading: TBD

Privacy and online sharing:

This course is scheduled to run synchronously at your scheduled class time via Zoom. These Zoom class sessions will be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video and computer screen. Student audio and video will be recorded if they share their computer audio and video during the recorded session. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will not be shared with or accessible to the public.
 
The University and Zoom have FERPA-compliant agreements in place to protect the security and privacy of UW Zoom accounts. Students who do not wish to be recorded should:
 
Change their Zoom screen name to hide any personal identifying information such as their name or UW Net ID, and Not share their computer audio or video during their Zoom sessions.