Optical efficiency and resolution

This course may also be counted toward ECEA 5601 in the CU Boulder Master of Science in Electrical Engineering program. Optical instruments are what we use to see the world, from corrective eyeglasses to medical endoscopes, cell phone cameras, and orbital telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems using simple mathematical and graphical techniques. The first-order optical design discussed in the previous course is useful for the initial design of an imaging optical system, but does not predict the energetics and resolution of the system. This course examines intensity propagation for Gaussian beams and incoherent sources. It also introduces the mathematical foundation needed to design an optical system with the desired field of view and resolution. You will also learn how to analyze these characteristics of your optical system using the industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio from Zemax.