Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Laboratory Professsional Officer
Regina Dunford
Contact via regina.dunford@mq.edu.au
E7B 252
Lecturer
Deb Kane
Contact via deb.kane@mq.edu.au
E6B 2.701
Lecturer, Course Convenor
Richard Mildren
Contact via rich.mildren@mq.edu.au
E6B 2.606
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
PHYS301
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
Phys799 MRes Shell Unit
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Unit description |
Unit description
Optics touches on many branches of physics and technology in the world today. The theme of this unit is physical optics, understanding how interference and diffraction determine how light propagates and interacts with optical systems. Interference leads to devices such as the Fabry-Perot interferometer, and multilayer dielectric filters; diffraction leads to new ways of analysing beam propagation and image formation. The mode theory of light propagation in free space and optical waveguides is developed and applied to lasers and fibre optics. Key optical methods are studied in the regular laboratory program together with advanced data analysis techniques and report writing providing a strong foundation for future research project work.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
This unit has a hurdle requirement, specifying a minimum standard that must be attained. To pass this unit you must obtain a mark of at least 50% in the unit overall, as well as a 40% hurdle requirement in the final examination.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Assignments | 15% | No | various |
Laboratory Reports | 20% | No | various |
Laboratory Logbook | 10% | No | Fri 5pm Wk 13 |
Presentation | 5% | No | Wed, 2-5pm, Week 13 |
Final Exam | 50% | No | End of Unit |
Due: various
Weighting: 15%
There will be 6 assignments with equal weight, three from each part of the course. Assignments will be issued on approximately the Tues of Wks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and will be due 12 days later.
We encourage students to use feedback from Assignment 1 and/or within lectures to discuss any issues relating to continuation beyond the Census Date.
Extension Requests
Given the importance we place on assignments as a key aid to learning we expect assignments to be submitted on time. In turn, we undertake to return your assignments (provided they were submitted on time), marked and with feedback within two weeks of their due date. This will allow us to provide you feedback in time to aid your ongoing learning through the course. Extensions will only be considered if requested with valid reasons prior to the due date. Work submitted after the due date without an approved extension will accrue a penalty of 10% per additional day for the first week. Work submitted more than one week late will be marked at the lecturer’s discretion.
Due: various
Weighting: 20%
Students must complete 4 experiments and submit two full reports and associated drafts together with their log book and calculations for the other two experiments. Submission of the 2 reports, and a logbook with a record of 4 experiments completed, and the associated calculations and analysis for the two experiments not the subject of a formal report, is mandatory.
Reports
Submission Dates
Assessment of full reports will be graded according to its conformity to the report Recommendations (see above). The marking scheme will have separate components for Abstract/Conclusions, Introduction, Experiment Description (Methods), Results, Analysis and Discussion, and Overall Presentation.
Due: Fri 5pm Wk 13
Weighting: 10%
Log-books with the record of experimental data are to be kept. These will be assessed in the laboratory sessions for being satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The criteria are readability, layout, completeness and clarity. A student must gain a satisfactory sign-off in their experimental log-book before any draft or report submission can be made.
Students must complete 4 experiments and submit two full reports and associated drafts together with their log book and calculations for the other two experiments. Submission of the 2 reports, and a logbook with a record of 4 experiments completed, and the associated calculations and analysis for the two experiments not the subject of a formal report, is mandatory.
Your laboratory log book including the write-up of two experiments additional to those in the formal reports, with graphs, analysis and calculations, is to be handed in by 5pm Friday of Week 13. The log book should not have the formal background and polished presentation of a formal report. It should contain all recorded data and your analysis of measurements, as well as your conclusions. It should provide sufficient information for a reader to assess the validity of your experimental procedure and conclusions.
Due: Wed, 2-5pm, Week 13
Weighting: 5%
In Week 13, students will provide a short presentation based on one of their laboratory experiments. This will be held in the usual laboratory times-slot. Presentations should aim to:
Students may work alone or in pairs and will have seven minutes per student for the presentation. Assessment will be based on the clarity and effectiveness of presentation, your explanation of the essential physics in your chosen area, and your discussion of why this area is significant.
You may use aids such as PowerPoint or overhead transparencies but this is not required. Some of the most effective presentations use nothing more than the whiteboard. We are more interested in seeing how you can be creative and effective in your communication, than the degree to which you have mastered fancy software tricks. Further details on requirements and assessment will be provided during the semester.
The presentation will be assessed (out of 30) according to the three areas of Scientific Accuracy, Content and Depth, and Style (with equal weighting).
Due: End of Unit
Weighting: 50%
The examination lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and consists of thirteen questions worth 4 marks each and six questions worth 8 marks each. All questions are to be answered. The exam questions will test knowledge across the material provided in the lectures and assignments only.
The final examination is a hurdle requirement. You must obtain a mark of at least 40% to pass the unit. If your mark in the final examination is between 30% and 39% inclusive then you will be a given a second and final chance to attain the required level of performance.
Introduction to Optics (3rd Edition) by FL Pedrotti and LS Pedrotti (Prentice-Hall, 2007)
This unit is taught through lectures and tutorials and through undertaking laboratory experiments. We strongly encourage students to attend lectures because they provide a much more interactive and effective learning experience than studying a text book. Questions during and outside lectures are strongly encouraged in this unit – please do not be afraid to ask as it is likely that your classmates will also want to know the answer. You should aim to read the relevant sections of the textbook before and after lectures and discuss the content with classmates and lecturers.
This unit includes a compulsory experimental component. The experiments are stand alone investigations and may include topics not covered by the lecture content of this course – They are an important part of the learning for this unit and the skills learned are essential for a well rounded physics graduate.
You should aim to spend 3 hours per week working on the assignments. You may wish to discuss your assignment problems with other students and the lecturers, but you are required to hand in your own work (see the note on plagiarism below). Assignments are provided as one of the key learning activities for this unit, they are not there just for assessment. It is by applying knowledge learned from lectures and textbooks to solve problems that you are best able to test and develop your skills and understanding of the material.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
As a result of a generous donation to the University, the W H “Beattie” Steel Prize for Optical Physics may be awarded to the strongest student in the unit. We expect the value of the prize to be in the vicinity of $400.
Beattie Steel gained the highest French doctorate for his work on Fourier Transform methods at L’Institut d’Optique in Paris. He was President of the International Commission of Optics, author of “Interferometry” and a winner of the Mees Medal, given by the Optical Society of America. He led Optics research at CSIRO, Lindfield for 30 years and he continued this as an Honorary Professor at Macquarie University.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Attendance at laboratories is compulsory. You must attend the scheduled laboratory session each week from Week 2. (Note that Wk 13 may be used in consultation with the lab manager to compete the final experiment). Access to the laboratory at other times will not normally be possible due to staffing constraints. You are urged to finish one experiment at a time, aiming to take no more than three laboratory sessions.
Students must complete 4 experiments and submit two full reports and associated drafts together with their laboratory log book and calculations for the other two experiments. Submission of the 2 reports, and a logbook with a record of 4 experiments completed, and the associated calculations and analysis for the two experiments not the subject of a formal report, is mandatory. The logbook must be kept and updated in real time in the laboratory class. Students writing experimental results onto loose sheets of paper will have these confiscated in the laboratory. Data etc. collected in electronic formats must be reproduced in hardcopy in the logbook. This original record is the logbook that must be submitted for assessment.
We expect to mark and return laboratory reports submitted on time, within two weeks at most.
A condition of entry to the laboratory is thorough knowledge of the safety requirements in the laboratory, given in the document entitled "Health and Safety Guidelines in the 300 Level Physics Laboratory". Students will be issued with the document in week 2 and will complete a short written quiz to demonstrate their understanding of safety requirements observed during all laboratory sessions. The safety aspects of the laboratory can also be found on posters in the laboratory.