Physical Optics Principles

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Questions and Answers

What does the word 'physical' imply in the context of physical optics?

It is more physical than geometric or ray optics (correct)
It ignores wave effects
It is a precise theory
It is an exact physical theory

What does physical optics study in optics?

Interference, diffraction, and polarization (correct)
Coherence theory
Geometric optics
Quantum noise in optical communication

What does the physical optics approximation consist of?

Ignoring wave effects in estimating diffraction
Modeling only interference effects
Applying full wave electromagnetism to estimate diffraction effects
Using ray optics to estimate the field on a surface and then integrating that field over the surface to calculate the transmitted or scattered field (correct)

What does coherence theory study in relation to optical communication?

$Quantum noise$ (C) Signup and view all the answers

In which frequency range is the physical optics approximation often more accurate in optics than for radio?

$High-frequency$ (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the principle of superposition of waves?

The resultant amplitude at a point is the vector sum of the amplitudes of the individual waves (B) Signup and view all the answers

What happens when a crest of one wave meets a trough of another wave?

Destructive interference occurs (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does interference refer to in physics?

Combining two coherent waves by adding their intensities or displacements with consideration for their phase difference (D) Signup and view all the answers