Lecturer
Recommended Reading
1) “Optics and Photonics: An Introduction”, F. Graham Smith, T. A. King, D. Wilkins, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
2) “Laser Spectroscopy: Basic concepts and Instrumentation”, W. Demtröder, 3rd Ed., Springer 2003.
3) “Introduction to Optics”, F. L. Pedrotti, L. S. Pedrotti, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hal International, 1997.
4) “Lasers: Principles and Applications”, J. Wilson, J.F.B. Hawkes, Prentice Hall.
5) “Physics of Optoelectronics”, Michael A. Parker, Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.
6) “Introduction to Biophotonics”, P. N. Prasad, John Wiley & Sons, 2003.
7) “Fundamentals of Photonics”, Saleh Teich, Wiley.
8) Review articles from scientific journals such as Nature, Science και Physics Today.
9) “Notes on Applications of Lasers in Physics, Chemistry και Materials Science”, S. Couris, Lecture Notes, Univ. of Patras.
Course Description
The laser as light source: properties of laser radiations, principles of laser operation. Laser sources for Spectroscopy.
Scattering of light: Rayleigh, Mie, Raman, Brillouin.
Instrumentation for Spectroscopy: diffraction and optical gratings, lenses, mirrors, filters, beam-splitters, polarizers, monochromators-spectrographs, Light Detectors (photomultipliers, photodiodes, diode arrays, CCD, ICCD, semiconductor based detectors for IR radiations, streak camera).
Devices and Instrumentation for measuring low level electrical signals: Lock–in amplifiers, Boxcar integrators.
Laser Spectroscopy: Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), Multi-photon Ionization Spectroscopy (MPI), Raman Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy (IR).
Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy.
Laser cooling. Bose–Einstein condensation.
Introduction to Nonlinear Optics: the nonlinear optical susceptibility, wave equation description of nonlinear optical interactions, nonlinear absorption and refraction, second and third harmonic generation, nonlinear optical materials, the “all–optical” processes.
Optical Trapping and applications in Biology and Medicine.
Bio-photonics: basics of laser tissue interactions, Photodynamic Therapies. Bio- nano-photonics: applications of nanoparticles (quantum dots, metallic nanoparticles) in medical imaging and diagnostics.
Experiment 1: The He-Ne laser
Experiment 2: Coupling of a laser beam in an optical fibre.
Experiment 3: Fourier optics; spatial filters.
Experiment 4: The Nd:YAG laser.
Experiment 5: Second Harmonic Generation (SHG).
