S No.

Topic

Domain

Hours as per UGC

I

RAY AND GEOMETRICAL OPTICS

• Fermat’s principle
• cardinal points of an optical system
• Matrix methods in paraxial optics
• Effects of translation and refraction
• Derivation of thin lens and thick lens formulae
• Unit plane, nodal planes
• System of thin lenses,
• Chromatic aberration
• Spherical aberration and coma.
• Astigmatism and distortion aberrations and their remedies.

Must Know

10

II

INTERFERENCE AND ITS APPLICATIONS

• Interference by Division of Wave front: Fresnel’s Biprism
• Fresnel’s Biprism applications to determination of wavelength of sodium light
• Fresnel’s Biprism application to determination of thickness of a mica sheet
• Interference by Division of Amplitude: Parallel & wedge shaped film (no derivation)
• Newton’s rings
• Michelson’s interferometer

• Michelson’s interferometer’s application to Standardization of a meter
• Michelson’s interferometer’s application to determination of wavelength.

Must Know

Desirable to Know

08

III

DIFFRACTION AND POLARIZATION

• Single slit diffraction
• Plane transmission granting spectrum
• Dispersive power of a grating
• Rayleigh’s criterion, resolving power of grating.
• Polarization by Double Refraction
• Huygen’s wave theory of double refraction
• Analysis of Palorized light: Nicol prism
•  Quarter wave plate and half wave plate

• Production and detection of (i) Plane polarized light (ii) Circularly polarized light and (iii) Elliptically polarized light

• Optical activity
• Fresnel’s theory of rotation
• Specific rotation, Polarimeters (half shade and Biquartz).

Must Know

Nice to know
Must Know

12