Improvement of Undergraduate Optics Instruction

该项目的目标是在从二年级全息实验课程到高级研究项目的几个层次上改进光学实验室教学。这是通过增加多功能快速全息相机和引入第二种颜色的激光来实现的。目前只有红色氦氖气体激光器可用。受影响的课程是全息实验和激光，学生对应用物理、科学教育和工业技术感兴趣；光学与实验，主要由对现代光学有特殊兴趣的物理专业学生和科学教育和物理教育的研究生选修；物理学本科研究。由于赠款而购买的主要设备项目是一个热塑性记录仪，他可以认为是一个即时全息相机。该仪器被用于实时监测物体的微观扭曲，通过观察物体移动时通过全息图看到的明暗条纹图案。该仪器可用于演示，用于中间水平的微观位移的半定量测量，以及用于高级本科研究项目。特别是一种新的基于全息的测量表面粗糙度的方法正在被探索。这种测量表面粗糙度的方法是由项目主管与以前的本科物理专业学生合作开发的，基于监测从粗糙表面散射的激光。第二个主要项目是蓝色氩离子激光器。该激光器允许在中高级水平上研究散射和衍射光的波长依赖性。此外，学生广泛感兴趣的双色全息显示也是可能的。

The project goal is to improve optics laboratory instruction at several levels ranging from a sophomore-level holography laboratory course to senior research projects. This is being accomplished by the addition of a versatile rapid holographic camera and by introducing lasers of a second color. At present only red helium-neon gas lasers are available. The affected courses are Holography Laboratory and Lasers, taken by students interested in applied physics, science education and industrial technology; Optics with Laboratory, taken principally by physics majors with a special interest in modern optics and by science education and physics education graduate students; and Undergraduate Research in Physics. The major equipment item purchased as a result of the grant is a thermoplastic recorder, which can he thought of as an instant holographic camera. This instrument is being used to monitor microscopic distortions of objects in real time, by observing a pattern of light and dark fringes these are seen through a hologram when the object is moved. This instrument can be used for demonstrations, for semi-quantitative measurements of microscopic displacements at the intermediate level, and for advanced undergraduate research projects. In particular a novel holographically-based method of measuring surface roughness is being explored. This method of measuring surface roughness, developed by the project director working with previous undergraduate physics majors is based on monitoring laser light scattered from the rough surface. The second major item is a blue argon-ion laser. This laser permits the wavelength dependence of scattered and diffracted light to be studied at the intermediate and advanced level. Also, two-color display holography, of wide interest to students, is also possible.