Light and Beyond (Lecture 1) by Rajaram Nityananda

SUMMER COURSES : LIGHT AND BEYOND

SPEAKER : Rajaram Nityananda (Azim Premji University)
DATE : 31 May 2020 to 28 June 2020
VENUE : Online Lectures and Tutorials

This short and intensive advanced undergraduate level course starts with the understanding of light as an electromagnetic wave. Optical phenomena in nature and technology and the underlying concepts are explored using mathematical ideas and tools, experimental demonstrations, and computer simulations. Problem-solving and discussion sessions are interwoven with the lectures. The physical ideas and mathematical models lead to least action and phase space in classical physics and wave functions in quantum physics.

Prerequisites: Complex numbers, Matrices, Calculus. Experience with a programming language is desirable.
This summer course is meant for undergraduate and masters students in science and engineering.

DATE: May 31st - June 28th, 2020 (may extend further)
TIME: Sundays, 10:00 am - 11:00 am (Lecture), 11:30 am -12:30 pm (Tutorials / discussions)
*Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, this course will be conducted entirely online (including lectures and tutorials) on weekends. More details will be shared separately with the selected candidates.

For any queries contact us at : [email protected]

Table of Contents (powered by https://videoken.com)
0:00:00 Light and Beyond (Lecture 1)
0:00:10 Don't take optics lightly!
0:01:03 Evidence that optics is important
0:02:43 Practical reasons
0:05:02 X-ray crystallography
0:07:19 Interferometric imaging
0:10:51 Theoretical reasons
0:13:12 Geometrical optics in action
0:17:06 Fermat - a man of principle
0:20:33 Hero(n) of Alexandria (1-70 CE)
0:21:19 Least path for reflection?
0:28:05 Stationarity
0:36:49 The law of refraction
0:39:13 Least time explains refraction
0:45:22 Q&A