Section A
Interference : Coherent sources, conditions for sustained interference. Division of Wave-Front - Fresnel’s Biprism, Division
of Amplitude- Wedge-shaped film, Newton’s Rings, Michelson Interferometer, applications (Resolution of closely spaced
spectral lines, determination of wavelengths).
Diffraction: Difference between interference and diffraction Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction. Fraunhofer diffraction
through a single slit, Plane transmission diffraction grating, absent spectra, dispersive power, resolving power and Rayleigh
criterion of resolution.
Section B
Polarisation: Polarised and unpolarised light, Uniaxial crystals double refraction, Nicol prism, quarter and half wave plates,
Detection and Production of different types of polarized light, Polarimetry; Optical and specific rotation, Biquartz and Laurent’s
half shade polarimeter.
LASER
Spontaneous and Stimulated emission, Laser action, characteristics of laser beam-concept of coherence , spatial and temporal
coherence , He-Ne and semiconductor lasers (simple ideas), applications
Section C
Fibre Optics
Propagation of light in optical fibres, numerical aperture, V-number, single and multimode fibres, attenuation, dispersion,
applications.
Dielectrics
Molecular theory, polarization, displacement vector, electric susceptibility, dielectric coefficient, permittivity & various relations
between these, Gauss’s law in the presence of a dielectric, Energy stored in a uniform electric field, concept of local molecular
fields and Claussius Mossotti relation.
Section D
Special Theory Of Relativity
Michelson’s Morley Experiment, Postulates of Special Theory of Relativity, Lorentz transformations, Consequences of LT
(length contraction and time dilation), addition of velocities, variation of mass with velocity, mass energy equivalence.
Superconductivity
Introduction (Experimental survey), Meissner effect, London equations, Hard and Soft superconductors, Elements of BCS
Theory.