| This book concerns light as a moving energy |
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A tridimensional
real wave
as a
moving energy
A snapshot
at a fixed time
a bit
different
from the abstract
simple harmonic
wave function
of only one spatial
dimension |
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| The main feature of a light source is its power (energy emitted per unit time); the prominent and distinctive characteristic of light (if quasi-monochromatic), observed compulsorily on a surface, is its intensity (energy reaching a unit surface per unit time) |
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A beam
of quasi-
monochromatic
light
coming
from a laser
source
travels
toward
the stars
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| and for natural light is its spectral intensity (energy hitting a unit surface per unit time and per unit frequency). |
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A beam
with full
visible spectrum
emerging
after refraction
from the surface
of a prism
where a beam
of natural light
has been
incident
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| Throughout each chapter these are the dominant and recurring arguments. The emphasis on light as moving energy grants continuity, either it must be considered a wave or the moving entity called photon. In addition deliberately no mention has been made to old and new optical technologies. These references seem misleading for students because technologies are a very serious matter (reserved to engineering universities and treated in different textbooks) and cannot be deceptively used as attracting argument to study and understand the basic concepts of Optics. |
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| In the mid-1950s, as a student, and in the first years of 1960s, as a professor, we used a slide rule (an unknown instrument to the present-day students) to do simple calculations. |
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Then cumbersome and enormous calculators (mainframes and minicomputers) appeared and were used as a little more sophisticated tool of calculus and for simpler tasks pocket calculators. Later in 1980s the Personal computers begin to appear and in 1990s Internet. These are now standard and universal utilities. Nevertheless textbooks propose scientific problems for students as if the only available calculus instrument is a pocket calculator.
In this book MATLAB is used. Someone can rightly use another equivalent program: it is a choice the author has to do. But MATLAB or an equivalent program is a must. Without this tool the book wouldn’t appear as it is. In many circumstances it has been an unyielding and implacable corrector of some substantial or material mistakes or oversights. |
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