FT504: Electromagnetism and Optics

Students taking the course are expected to:

• Have knowledge of FT501: Mathematics (10 ECTS) or MM536: Calculus (10 ECTS), FT500: Mechanics and Thermodynamics (10 ECTS) and FT502: Electronics (5 ECTS). 

• Give skills in theoretical and experimental examination of physical phenomena
• Give knowledge about fundamental theories and their formulation as well as experimental methods of physics

• define electric and magnetic fields, and central concepts such as charge and current density as well as flux density and electric potential,
• apply fundamental equations describing the interactions between electric charges, and magnetic forces on electric charges and electric currents in the presence of a magnetic field,
• account for Coulomb’s and Gauss’ law and explain the application of the laws to determination of electric and magnetic fields,
  
• account for Ampére’s law and Biot-Savart’s law and  explain their application to determine magnetic fields,,
• account for Faraday’s law and explain its application to determine induced electric fields in the presence of varying magnetic fields,
• account for the interaction of a material with electric and magnetic fields through polarization, conduction and magnetization determined through material properties such as permittivity, resistance and permeability,
• account for the boundary conditions of electric and magnetic fields,
• define and describe the concepts of resistance and capacitance as well as self-inductance and mutual inductance,
• explain the structure of magnetic circuits and their analogue to electric circuits as well as account for different models of circuits based on the linear and non-linear permeability of the materials
• explain the structure and function of a one-phase transformer,
• interpret Maxwell’s equations as the underlying emergence of electromagnetic waves,
• describe interference phenomena among harmonic waves in one and two spatial dimensions,
• mathematically describe basic diffraction phenomena. 

• apply Coulomb’s law and Gauss’ law for electric fields to perform computations of electric forces, fields and potentials of different charge distributions,
• apply Gauss’ law for magnetic fields as well as Biot-Savart’s law and Ampére's law to evaluate the magnetic fields originating from electric currents,
• apply Faraday’s law to calculate induced electromotive forces and induced electric fields in the presence of varying magnetic fields,
• use knowledge about the behavior of the electric field in and around conductors and dielectrics, and the corresponding boundary conditions, to calculate the capacitance in simple configurations of electric conductors and dielectrics,
• use knowledge of the behavior of the magnetic field in and around conductors, and the corresponding boundary conditions, to calculate self-inductance and mutual inductance in simple configurations of conductors and magnetic materials,
• set up models for magnetic circuits, including the case of the one-phase transformer,
• explain how an optical microscope works and sketch the imaging and the illumination paths,
• explain the fundamental limitations diffraction phenomena place on resolution of optical/spectral instruments.
• perform and conduct experiments on electromagnetism and optics

• analyse different phenomena of electric and magnetic fields and their effect on charged particles,
• analyse experimental setups that are shown in the course book,
• use calculations, methods and techniques of electromagnetism in applications in connection with the generation or detection of electric and magnetic fields,
• evaluate the influence of different dielectric and magnetic materials on electric and magnetic field distributions,
• dimension and analyze magnetic circuits, including one-phase transformers,
• apply geometric optics, analyze beam paths in optical systems with up to two components,
• plan and conduct experiments on electromagnetism and optics,
• report and analyse laboratory experiments in a formally correct and complete way (including discussion).

• Electric charge and electric fields. Coulomb’s law and Gauss’ law for electric fields,
• Electric potential energy and the electric potential,
• Electric material properties. Permitivity, conductance and displacement field.
• Capacitance,
• Magnetic fields and the magnetic field of a current. Ampére’s law and Bio-Savart’s law.
• The Lorentz force on an electrical conductor.
• Faraday’s law of induction,
• Inductance
• Magnetic properties of materials, magnetization, permeability, magnetic field strength (H-field) and hysteresis curves
• Transformers and magnetic circuits
• Maxwell equations in integral and differential form
• Electromagnetic waves
• Light waves (Huygens’ principle; refraction and reflection)
• Mirrors and lenses (optical instruments, eye, telescope, microscope)
• Interference phenomena
• Diffraction (diffraction and resolution limit)
• Laboratory classes within electromagnetism and optics

At the faculty of science, teaching is organized after the three-phase model ie. intro, training and study phase.

• Intro phase: 48 hours
• Skills training phase: 48 hours, hereof tutorials: 30 hours and laboratory exercises: 18 hours

• Study of textbook
• Solving of exercises
• Preparation for laboratory exercises and subsequent writing of reports