Lab 17

Lab 17 is the class wrap-up, the traditional trip down memory lane with bonus topics.  Meet in the classroom.  Attendance is mandatory.  There is some essential paperwork.

Final pdf's of your presentation slides are due to me via email by the end of the night.  I will package them all up onto CD's for distribution next Monday evening.  These are the versions you will present.  From all indications, they are going to be pretty good.

I am planning to have open lab at 5 PM (not 4) for an hour.

Lab 16

For Lab 16 we will meet in the lab.  There is no classroom session.

In Lab 16 we build and get fringes on a Sagnac interferometer, which forms the basis for laser ring gyros.  There is no prep as this is just a familiarization exercise.  Upon its completion you will have the skills to construct the three main types of interferometers.  Be sure to capture the build in your lab notebook.

Lab will be open Sunday 1-6.

Project schedule update

I am noticing that the dates noted earlier for the final presentation were not right.  Seems the end of the quarter is sneaking up faster than I thought.

Presentations will be given December 3 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM during the scheduled final examination time in the classroom.  Feel free to invite friends, family.

Your final pdfs are due on Wednesday November 28.  Please be sure your plans reflect this.

Lab 15

Lab 15 Briefing Material (pdf file)

Lab 15 Prep:

1.  Download the briefing materials and read them.  Perform the work needed for items #2 and #4.  Record results in your lab notebook.  In lab you will carry out these procedures and calculations.

2.  You will need to determine the thickness of the microscope slide with a micrometer.   We have a bunch of slides but the micrometer has a minimum jaw width of 1 inch (maximum is 2 inches).  Think of at least one way that this seemingly unfortunate circumstance is an opportunity for higher precision.

3.  Generate an error budget containing at least 4 important contributions.  How accurate do you expect your refractive index measurement to be (numerically, as a percentage)?

Don't forget slide titles are due as well - emailed to me.  Take note that your presentations will only be 10 minutes long.  So you will only need a small handful of slides.  5 would be a lot.  Those of you in teams identify who will present which slides.

Also:  those of you who need equipment for your projects from the Physics storeroom be sure to work with Brian and Al to arrange its use asap.  They are expecting you and waiting to be helpful to you.

Lab 14

Lab 14 Briefing Package (pdf file)

Lab prep involves notebooks and your final project.

Lab notebooks:  those of you who did not get a bye, please be prepared for notebook review

Project / Final Presentation:  Prepare a page that...

• Succinctly describes the project
• Identifies your project team
• Estimates the amount of table time needed
• Estimates the amount of other time needed
• Presents a schedule of activities that delivers a pdf version on the last day of classes
• Includes a plan to obtain any needed equipment not in the lab
• You email to me and have available in class for review

I have scheduled a large number of open lab hours between now and when the final presentation pdfs are due.  These are listed in the immediately previous post.  

Open Lab Hours

Open lab this week:

   Monday 4-6 & after class

   Tuesday 4-6 & 7-9

   Wednesday 4-6 & after class

   Sunday 1-6 by appointment

   

Open lab next week:

   Monday 4-6 & after class

   Tuesday 4-6 & 7-9

Since open lab hours are limited, please plan your project work to be efficient on the table.

Project Ideas

The ultimate Malus Law experiment

Interference patterns from single photons

The optical table as a giant thermometer

Optical table guitar

Mach-Zender interferometer to measure water salinity

Detection and isolation of quantum optical vortices

Polarization rotation vs polarization filtering

Optical magnetometer

Up/down conversion of orbital angular momentum states

Camera vs radiometer calibration

Some projects that are being worked on:

Refractive index of air

Optical quality of photolithographic sheet material

Telescope repair and alignment

Faraday rotation in magneto-optical materials

conformational response of photo-active polymers to illumination

Lab 13 Materials

Lab 13 continues our exploration of the Michelson interferometer.  In the prep package you will work through some alignments, make predictions of experimental outcomes, and complete the quantum mechanical calculation we started in the last class's "Quantum Snippit".

Lab 13 Prep Package (pdf file)
Lab 13 Briefing (pdf file)

Here are the fringes seen in the 2 interferometers built by teams Mir and Skylab for Lab 12:

Team Skylab Fringes

Team Mir Fringes

Project Schedule

Teams due 11/14   A team is one or two people

Topics due 11/19 Reviewed in class
                           have a second choice available

Slide titles due   11/21 Reviewed in class (pdf)

Draft charts due 11/26 Describe the content (pdf)

Final charts due 12/05 What you are presenting (pdf)

All items to be sent to my by email by class on the dates noted.  I will hand out CD's containing the files at the time of the final presentations.

You may accomplish these milestones early if you wish, but certainly no later than the dates noted.  You will avoid a rush at the end, and competition for lab equipment, by doing your projects early rather than at the last minute.

Lab 12 Materials - Michelson Interferometer First Fringes

Lab 12 Prep Package (pdf file)

Lab 12 Briefing (pdf file)

It's a happy circumstance that today's easily available optical components and mounts allow the construction of various interferometers on the optical table.  It means we can have a lot of fun with quantum optics by being hands-on, and in doing so gain good physical insight.  In this lab we start our sweep through the final theme of the class where we'll bring all of the ideas together into sophisticated probing of the quantum state of light in interferometers, fringe formation, and illustrations of the which-way ambiguity.

For prep you will read Michelson and Morley's original paper, explore some new interferometer concepts and get concrete about carrying out the alignments necessary to get an interferometer to work.

Lab 11 Materials

Lab 11 Prep Package (PDF file)

We will be probing image formation by a telescope mirror and trying out optics cleaning techniques (deferred from last time).  If you do not have a "bye", be prepared for notebook review.

We will head over to the lab from the classroom immediately after the prepared/not-prepared session.

There is open lab from 5 to 6 on Monday and again from 5 to 6 on Wednesday.

Projects:  several students have started on their projects, ahead of schedule.  That's fantastic since later in the quarter table time will be a premium.  Another reason to get a head start is if your project needs us to fabricate or purchase something, then it's good to schedule time for that upfront.  These so-called "long-lead items" that always need attention paid early on in a project.