Modern Optics Laboratory with Signal Detection and Processing

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This project is establishing a modern optics laboratory course and completing the equipping of a recently constructed teaching laboratory. The aim of the project is to improve the advanced laboratory component of the physics curriculum by initiating a laboratory based course centered on modern optical devices and techniques, with signal detection and processing. The project is significant in that it provides an important next step in an intentional plan to improve the physics program and utilize the interests, commitment, and expertise of new faculty leadership in the department. The project also has the added benefit of encouraging students to pursue graduate study by exposing them to contemporary topics in physics. Steady-state and time- resolved experiments are being performed with equipment provided for this project, which include as major pieces, an optical table, a photon-counter and associated detector, an air-cooled Argon ion laser, an acousto-optic modulator, and a data acquisition and analysis system. Steady-state experiments to be performed include single photon diffraction, optical fiber communication, heterodyne and Mach-Zender interferometry, coherent backscattering, and microstatistical speckle correlation spectroscopy. The time-resolved experiments include pulse propagation through disordered media, fluorescence measurements, and temporal pulse width measurements by autocorrelation.