optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies light and its interactions with matter. It encompasses generation, propagation, manipulation, and detection of visible and invisible radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Historically, optics moved from geometric optics (light as rays) to wave optics (interference and diffraction) and
Key contributors include Ibn al-Haytham, Euclid, Newton, Huygens, Fresnel, and Maxwell.
Light behavior includes reflection, refraction (Snell's law), dispersion, and polarization. Wave optics explains interference and diffraction
Lenses and mirrors form images, enabling cameras, eyeglasses, microscopes, and telescopes. Optical instruments rely on controlling
Applications span fiber optics and lasers for communication, medical imaging such as optical coherence tomography and
Foundations include Maxwell's equations, the wave equation, and, in quantum optics, photons and quantum coherence. Branches
Optics enables observation, measurement, and manipulation of light in science, industry, and daily life.