Demonstrational Optics presents a new didactical approach to the study of optics. Emphasizing the importance of elaborate new experimental demonstrations, pictorial illustrations, computer simulations and models of optical phenomena in order to ensure a deeper understanding of wave and geometric optics. It includes problems focused on the pragmatic needs of students, secondary school teachers, university professors and optical engineers.

This book presents a new didactical approach to the study of optics. It emphasizes the importance of elaborate new experimental demonstrations containing pictorial illustrations, computer simulations and models of optical phenomena in order to ensure a deeper understanding of wave and geometric optics. It includes problems focused on the pragmatic needs of students, secondary school teachers, university professors and optical engineers. A substantial part of this volume is devoted to thermal radiation and its properties, especially with partial coherence. A detailed treatment of the photo-effect with respect to statistical properties leads to the basics of statistical optics. To illustrate the phenomena covered by this volume, a large number of demonstration experiments are described and discussed. In the chapters devoted to statistical phenomena computer simulations are described, the code of all relevant programs being included.

Interference of light: Classical interference schemes.- Interference with glass plates.- Multiple-beam interference.- The Fabry-Perot interferometer.- Optical resonator of a laser.- Scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer.- Diffraction of light: Fresnel diffraction.- Fraunhofer diffraction.- Fraunhofer diffraction in optical instruments.- Resolving power of optical instruments.- Fourier optics: Properties of Fourier spectra in optics.- Isoplanatic linear systems.- Spatial filtration.- History of quanta: Black body radiation.- Plank's law of radiation.- Formulae for equilibrium radiation.- Einstein's hypothesis of light quanta.- Spontaneous and induced radiation.- Shot noise.- Instantaneous intensity.- Quantum efficiency.- The random experiment.- Statistics of the number of photoelectrons.- Detection of low intensities.- Poisson's statistics with the concept of photons.- Interference of single photons.- White gaussian light: Fluctuations.- The quadrature components.- Computer model for the Gaussian light.- Correlation of light field: Visibility and complex degree of coherence.- General form of correlation of fields.- Spatial correlation of the field.- Temporal correlation of the light field.- The spatial mode.- Computer simulation of field correlation.- Correlation of light intensity.- Correlation functions of intensity.- Photo-current statistics.- The statistics of thermal radiation.- Optical beats experiment.- Hanbury-Brown and Twiss experiments.- Correlation of pseudo-Gaussian light.- References.- Index.