Authors
Sander Konijnenberg
Department of Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Thomas H.A. van der Reep
Department of Applied Physics & Photonics Research Group, Faculty of Technology, Innovation and Society, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7237-7558
Keywords:
geometrical optics, interferometry, diffraction optics, polarisation states, Jones vectors, coherence of light, lasers
Synopsis
Educational level: Bachelor
This book treats optics at the level of students in the later stage of their bachelor or the beginning of their master. It is assumed that the student is familiar with Maxwell’s equations. Although the book takes account of the fact that optics is part of electromagnetism, special emphasis is put on the usefulness of approximate models of optics, their hierarchy and limits of validity. Approximate models such as geometrical optics and paraxial geometrical optics are treated extensively and applied to image formation by the human eye, the microscope and the telescope.
Polarisation states and how to manipulate them are studied using Jones vectors and Jones matrices. In the context of interference, the coherence of light is explained thoroughly. To understand fundamental limits of resolution which cannot be explained by geometrical optics, diffraction theory is applied to imaging. The angular spectrum method and evanescent waves are used to understand the inherent loss of information about subwavelength features during the propagation of light. The book ends with a study of the working principle of the laser.
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Author Biographies
Aurèle J.L. Adam, Department of Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Aurèle J.L. Adam is an Assistant Professor and the director of Studies of the Master Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology. He is an Engineer from CentraleSupélec (promo 2000) and got his PhD from the University of Paris VI. His expertise lies in the Terahertz field and he enjoys scattering problems, wave optics and free form optics.
Sander Konijnenberg, Department of Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Sander Konijnenberg studied Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology. At the same university, he obtained his PhD (cum laude) in the Optics Group on the topic of ptychography and phase retrieval. He currently works at ASML Research in Veldhoven (NL).
H. Paul Urbach, Department of Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
H. Paul Urbach is an Emeritus Professor of Optics at Delft University of Technology. Previously he has been with Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven. His research interests are optical imaging and diffraction theory.
Thomas H.A. van der Reep, Department of Applied Physics & Photonics Research Group, Faculty of Technology, Innovation and Society, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
Tom van der Reep is a lecturer-researcher at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University. He obtained his PhD at Leiden University in 2019 on the topic of the quantum-to-classical transition. Currently he teaches courses on classical and quantum mechanics, modeling and optics. To date, his research focuses on human vision at the quantum level.
Published
August 28, 2025
Copyright (c) 2025 Aurèle J.L. Adam, Sander Konijnenberg, H. Paul Urbach, Thomas H.A. van der Reep
