This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5601, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.
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Optical Efficiency and Resolution
This course is part of Optical Engineering Specialization
Taught in English
Some content may not be translated
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Instructor: Robert McLeod
6,776 already enrolled
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Course
(58 reviews)
What you'll learn
Design an optical system with simple mathematical and graphical techniques
Design an optical system with the required field of view and resolution
Analyze the characteristics of your optical system using an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax
Details to know
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12 quizzes
Course
(58 reviews)
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There are 5 modules in this course
First order optical system design using rays is useful for the initial design of an optical imaging system, but does not predict the energy and resolution of the system. This module introduces Gaussian beams, a specific example of how the shape of the light evolves in an imaging system.
What's included
12 videos3 readings4 quizzes6 discussion prompts
This module provides the background for the full electro-magnetic field description of optical systems, including a description of plane and spherical waves and a formal treatment of reflection and refraction from this perspective. We start out with a quick review of the mathematical background for this description. This will be fairly short, but you may want to spend some more time reviewing these concepts on your own if you have not seen them for a while.
What's included
8 videos2 readings3 quizzes1 discussion prompt
This module provides an introduction to the basics of Fourier Optics, which are used to determine the resolution of an imaging system. We will discuss a few Fourier Transforms that show up in standard optical systems in the first subsection and use these to determine the system resolution, and then discuss the differences between coherent and incoherent systems and impulse responses and transfer functions in the second subsection. We will wrap up with a discussion of these concepts using OpticStudio.
What's included
10 videos2 quizzes1 discussion prompt
This module takes the concepts of pupils and resolution that we have discussed in the previous modules and works through how to apply them to our first-order optical design systems. We start with a description of how to find the system pupils and windows, then move on to a discussion of how that affects the imaging properties of this system, and finally return to the Lagrange invariant and its utility in optical system design.
What's included
11 videos2 quizzes2 discussion prompts
One of the main questions you ask when designing an optical system is "How much light can I get through the system?" In this last section of new content for this course, we move from talking about resolution to talking about the amount of light we expect at each point in the optical system, a field of study called radiometry.
What's included
10 videos1 reading1 quiz
Instructor
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Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Electrical Engineering
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
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This course is part of the following degree programs offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your coursework can count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.
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Frequently asked questions
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