2020 Faculty Courses School of Science Department of Physics Graduate major in Physics
Special Topics in Physics IX
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Physics
- Instructor(s)
- Kenichi Harada
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- PHY.P559
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
The light has several properties such as frequency, polarization, and phase and so on. The light measurement using these properties is used for a lot of fields. In the lecture, the several methods of spectroscopy are treated theoretically through the interaction between atom and light. Moreover, the principle of the Michelson interference and cavity of light for detecting gravitational waves is explained including the constitution of gravitational-wave detectors.
Course description and aims
The aim is to understand the characteristics of light and various kinds of measurement methods using laser light. Especially, it is significant to understand the interaction between atoms and light, laser cooling techniques and gravitational-wave detection techniques.
Keywords
Quantum optics, Electromagnetism, Laser lights
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Powerpoint and whiteboard are used for the explanation.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Basic property of lasers | The light property and several kinds of lasers are introduced. |
| Class 2 | Laser measurement | A variety of measurement methods using lasers are explained. |
| Class 3 | Semiclassical theory of atom-light interaction | The absorption and dispersion of light caused by an interaction between light and an atom are explained. The theory is treated as semiclassical. |
| Class 4 | Fundamental of laser cooling and trapping of atoms | The change in the momentum of atoms caused due to the absorption and emission of light is discussed. Further, general methods to trap atoms such as magneto-optical trapping is introduced. |
| Class 5 | Coherent and squeezed states of the light | The squeezed state that appears when the electromagnetic field is treated in quantum theory is explained. Moreover, the generation method of the squeezed state is also introduced. |
| Class 6 | Detection method of the gravitational wave | The property of the gravitational wave and the detection method using the Michelson interferometer are explained. |
| Class 7 | Present status of the gravitational wave detectors | Present status of the gravitational-wave detectors are introduced. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Quantum optics, M. Matsuoka
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Laser measurement, T. Kushida
Evaluation methods and criteria
Total of attendance and report points
Related courses
- PHY.C449 ： Laser Physics
Prerequisites
PHY.Q207 ： Introduction to Quantum Mechanics(Lecture)、PHY.E205 ： Electromagnetism(Lecture)