Optics and photonics underpin the technologies that define our daily life, from communications and sensing to displays and imaging. This course provides an introduction to the principles that govern the generation, manipulation, and detection of light and will give students hands-on lab experience applying these principles to analyze and design working optical systems. The concepts we will cover form the basis for many systems in biology, optoelectronics, and telecommunications and build a foundation for further learning in photonics and optoelectronics. Connecting theory to observation and application is a major theme for the course.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-AQR, WAY-SMA, WIM
Optics and photonics underpin the technologies that define our daily life, from communications and sensing to displays and imaging. This course provides an introduction to the principles that govern the generation, manipulation, and detection of light and will give students hands-on lab experience applying these principles to analyze and design working optical systems. The concepts we will cover form the basis for many systems in biology, optoelectronics, and telecommunications and build a foundation for further learning in photonics and optoelectronics. Connecting theory to observation and application is a major theme for the course.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.