ME 5520 — Fundamentals and Applications of Optics and Photonics
4 semester hoursGraduateLectureusually offered: falltypical days: T/FBostonTraditional
Introduces the basic knowledge and recent development in the field of optics and photonics. Explains the property of light from four perspectives: geometric optics, wave optics, electromagnetic optics based on Maxwell’s equations, as well as quantum mechanics. Discusses the interactions between light and materials, ranging from bulk to nano and molecular level. Presents representative applications, particularly in the domain of mechanical engineering, which include imaging and microscopy, photolithography, 3D laser printing, solar desalination, radiative cooling, optical tweezers to manipulate micro/nano objects, and solar sails for spacecraft propulsion.
Prerequisites
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 42% | 11.0 |
| Fall 2025 | 1 | 10 | 13 | 77% | 3.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 0% · T 56% · W 0% · Th 44% · F 56%
Common patterns: TF (56% of sections), R (44% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Yongmin Liu (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (ME course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All ME courses · Plan it at numap.app