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PHOTONICS

Course objectives

Learn: Students will learn how to deal with classical and quantum electromagnetic phenomena in realistic systems, including micro and nano structures, with particular emphasis on light propagation in waveguides, light confinement in optical resonators, and light generation by various classical and quantum phenomena (e.g. LASER, second harmonic generation, spontaneous parametric down-conversion, spontaneous four-wave mixing, etc ...).  
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Understand: At the end of the course students will be able to understand what are the optimal strategies/approaches to describe classical and quantum phenomena in various scenarios and systems. They will recognize what are the pros and cons of various systems to the control and enhancement of the light-matter interaction. 
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Skills: Students will become familiar with advanced concepts in classical and quantum electromagnetism connected to wave interference, field quantization and nonlinear classical and quantum phenomena. This know-how will be crucial in various context, from the study of fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics to the description and design of photonic devices necessary to the development of classical and quantum technologies. 
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What do I need to know?

If you have a Bachelor in Physics, you are set to go! You wont't need anything more than basic concepts of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. The course is based on chapters from "Photonics", by Yariv and Yeh and  “The Quantum Theory of Light” by Loudon. Additional material will be provided, including powerpoint slides and videos available  through  KIRO.  I will provide you the proper references for every lecture, so you won't miss anything. 
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Here you can find the updated lecture list

Bibliography

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where can I meet the professor?

You are very welcome to drop in my office (2-60) if there's anything you'd like to discuss - you may want to contact me in advance to be sure I am in. 

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What do I have to do before the oral exam?

You do have to register on ESSE3. This is necessary to upload your score in the system after the exam. Once the score is in the system, you will have 5 days to accept or reject it.   

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The Course of Photonics deals with classical and quantum optics in micro- and nano-structures, including theory of light confinement and propagation, light amplification by stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation, and generation of nonclassical light (e.g. entangled photon pairs, squeezed light, etc …) by parametric fluorescence.
 
The topics discussed in this course are central to quantum technologies based on photons and, more in general, to the study of the light-matter interaction. Thus, this course is particularly suitable within the curricula of Physics of Quantum Technologies and Physics of Matter.
The course covers the main concepts in the field of classical and quantum photonics and is divided in 5 building blocks:
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  1. Elements of classical and quantum optics.
  2. Light propagation in dielectric waveguides.
  3. Optical resonators and cavities.
  4. Quantum light-matter interaction.
  5. Classical and quantum nonlinear optics.

When? Where?

The final course schedule will be defined in the first meeting with students, however the tentative schedule is Monday 2-4 PM and Wednesday 9-11 AM. We have also a  Google Calendar of the course, so that you will always have up-to-date information about lectures and assignment deadlines.

ONLINE: Video of the lectures of the last year academic year will be available for a limited time and only for the students who subscribed to the course

Please note that there are often interesting  meetings and seminars at the Department of Physics. These are shown on the Departmental agenda. The attendance is not mandatory nor these events are always connected to the course, but you may find some of them interesting and stimulating.  

The Exam

The final mark is determined after an oral exam. However, during the course there will be five optional assignments. Each student can decide whether the marks obtained in the assignments should be considered in the final evaluation or not. The student will have to make a decision before the oral exam. 
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Option 1 (with assignments): only the four best assignments will be considered, and they will count 1/3 of the final mark. The oral exam will deal only with two of the five main topics of the course. At least one of the topics has to be either (4) Light-matter interaction or (5) Nonlinear optics. 
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Option 2 (without assignments): The oral exam will deal only with three of the five main topics of the course. At least one of the topics has to be either (4) Light-matter interaction or (5) Nonlinear optics. 
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