Geometric Optics: It considers the light as straight lines (rays) moving through the space.

Physical Optics: It considers the light as a wave.

Quantum Optics: It considers the light as discrete packets of energy.
Einsteins coefficients:
Absorption: An incident photon with the same electrons frequency (resonance frequency)
is absorbed by the electron and converted into a phonon.
Spontaneous Emission: A photon E1 incides on an electron and the electron liberates the
energy by emitting a photon of energy E2. (E2 is because the system is not isolated).
Stimulated Emission: A photon of energy E1 incides on an excited electron, then 2
photons of energy E1 are emitted.
Infrared radiation: Type of radiation where the molecules move.
Ultraviolet radiation: Type of radiation where the nucleus move.
Reflection: Change on the direction of the light when it bounces against the borderline of 2
mediums, going back to the 1st medium. ( i = r Fresnel law).
Specular reflection: Reflection produced by a smooth surface.
Diffuse reflection: Reflection produced by a rough surface.

Diffraction: Effect produced by partially obstructing a wave. (Fourier Transform).

Refraction: Change in direction of propagation of light due to a change in its transmission
medium. (

ni sin i = nt sin t Snell law).

Refractive Index: Relation between the speed of light in free space and in a material.
(High density=High Index ; Low density=Low Index)
Polarization: Vector (k) indicating the direction of the electric field.
Linear polarization: The components of the electric field are in phase.
Circular polarization: The components of the electric field have a phase of 90.
Elliptical polarization: The components of the electric field have a phase different of 90 or a
different amplitude.
Interference: Effect of the superposition of 2 or more waves.
Destructive interference: 180 phase (the interference out of the medium is destructive)
Constructive interference: Same phase
Conditions for interference: Coherent waves, same frequency, same polarization.

=
Irradiance: I =

n=

E
c
= 0 E02
(tiempo)(rea)
2
I

Absorbance: log 2
I1

E = h

E=h

I =| E |2

Dispersion: Separation of the spectral components of a wave.

v=

c
=
n

Non-Linear absorption:
Saturated absorption (induced transparency): When the photons pass freely trough the
energy levels of an atom. (I ) = 0 I

Multiphotonic absorption: The electron occupies a higher energy level. (I ) = 0 + I

Dichroism: Property of a material that has 2 absorption coefficients in different directions.

Birefringence: Property of a material that has 2 refractive indexes in different directions.
Photoluminescence: Property of a material that reflects a lower energy light compared to the
incident light.
Fluorescence: Absorbed light is emitted in less than 1sec.
Phosphorescence: Absorbed light is slowly emitted (more than 1sec).
Optical path: n(d) =

c
d
v

Coherence: Property associated with a light source to interfere.

Lens focus:

1 1 1
= +
f s1 s2

Brewster angle: Angle at which the reflection doesnt exists because the reflected ray and the
polarization vector are parallels.
Critical Angle: Is the angle at which the refracted ray is perpendicular to the normal.
Total internal reflection:

sin c =

ni > nt and the incidence angle must be lower than c

Stark effect: Spectrum modification of an EMW by an electric field.

Zeeman effect: Spectrum modification of an EMW by a magnetic field.
Kerr effect: Refractive index change by an electric field (quadratically).
n2=nonlinear refractive index
Optical Kerr: Refractive index change by a light wave.
Pockels effect: Refractive index changed by an electric field (linearly).

n = n1 + n2 I

n2
n1

Radiation: If a charge has a non-uniform movement, it radiates.

Wave front: Group of points with the same phase moving in the direction of propagation.
Huygens-Fresnell Principle: Each point on a wave front can be considered as a puntual source.
Close field diffraction (Fresnell diffraction)
Far field diffraction (Fraunhofer diffraction)
Airy disc: width of the central point in a Bessel function.
Diffraction is always caused by interference but the interference not always causes
diffraction.
Speckle effect: When a rough surface is illuminated by a laser it presents a speckled pattern
caused by the interference between each the reflections of each point (each point creates a bessel
function due to the diffraction).
Frustrated total internal reflection: When 2 points of light in a fiber A are interfering
constructively on another fiber B due to a unequal separation between each point and fiber B.

0
n

k=

k=

2 n
0

I=

Pot
rea

Thin film effect: Is a constructive and destructive interference between the top and the bottom of
the thin film for each color.
Mirror effect: The air closer to the floor is hotter (High n) than the air far from the floor (Low n), the
incident light is totally reflected when it bounces against the second medium (hotter air).
Optical disturbance on a Faradays jail due to a sound wave: The energy of a sound wave
causes compressions on the air molecules, disturbing the refractive index as the sound waves
travels. These changes disturb an optical system like an interferometer.
Blue sky and sunset: Rayleigh scattering causes the scattering of higher energy light (as blue),
the dispersed blue bounces among atmosphere molecules which reflect it creating the blue sky.
The sun emission is majorly red, blue and green. In the afternoon the incident angle of the light is
different and we see the red color because red is reflected from the back of the Earth to us.
Stokes: The electron go back to a higher level than the basal (less energy emitted).
Anti-Stokes: The electron go back to a lower level than the basal (more energy emitted).
Raman effect: Modification of a waves spectrum due to the irradiance and an additional energy.
1 of every 10k photons is converted into a lower energy photon.
Malus law:

I T = I 0 cos( )2

Liquid crystal display: The molecules are arranged in the same direction and the x axis has a
higher refractive index than the y axis. Less energy is needed to excite an electron on the y axis.
When an electric field is applied to the display some molecules switches their orientation this
allows the polarized light to go trough the screen and illuminate some points.