Graduate Studies in Optics

The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester has been a leader in the training of optical scientists and engineers since 1929. It is the oldest academic Optics program in the US.

What is Optics?

Optics is the study of light: its generation, propagation, detection, and interaction with matter.  Optics includes basic and applied science as well as engineering.  It is a multidisciplinary endeavor with its roots in physics, electrical engineering, chemistry, and materials science.  The science of optics has a long history. It has occupied the minds of many of the greatest scientific thinkers:  Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, Newton, Maxwell, Rayleigh, and Einstein.

Discoveries in optics strongly influenced the development of modern science.  Einstein's explanations of the photoelectric effect and the Planck radiation formula; Zernike's invention of phase-contract microscopy; Lamb's measurement of radiative frequency shifts of light emitted by atoms; and Cherenkov's discovery of light emissions by a charged particle moving faster than the speed of light in a medium all have changed the way we perceive the world.  These, and other discoveries in optics were recognized by more than twenty Nobel Prizes during the period 1907-2005.

In 1960 the first laser was built, and the world has not been the same since.  The discovery of the laser has allowed a degree of control of light and matter not imagined before.   One example is the realization of holography.  Another is the ability to see with the unaided eye a single ionized atom that has been trapped by magnetic fields and illuminated with laser light.  The techniques of nonlinear optics are leading to new methods of manipulating light,  including control of its wavelength, pulse duration, phase, and statistical properties.  Nonlinear optics is playing a crucial role in the search for switching and storage components for use in optical computers.  From its classical beginnings optics has emerged in the past decades to the forefront of technology.  For example, modern research topics under study at the University of Rochester include those on the following list. For additional information, please go to Research Areas.

Current Research Topics

• optical and quantum information processing
• subwavelength optics (nano-optics)
• subpicosecond lasers and phenomena
• nonlinear optical materials
• gradient index optics
• quantum nature of absorption and emission of light
• light propagation in microstructures
• quantum imaging
• slow and fast light propagation
• theory, design, and fabrication of lasers
• optimization of computer based optical system design
• hybrid electrical-optical computing
• remote sensing
• physics of super-intense fields
• diffractive optics
• medical optics
• fabrication of quantum-well devices
• nonlinear dynamics and chaos
• laser-driven fusion

What is The Institute of Optics?

The Institute of Optics, internationally known as a leading center of education and research, has been educating  scientists in the field of optics since 1929.  An academic department in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Institute was for most of its history the only institution in the country granting degrees in optics.  More recently, other programs have been formed.  The City of Rochester has been called the optics capital of the country, having a history of leadership in the optics industry by such companies as Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Xerox, and Tropel.  Distinguished citizens of Rochester -  George Eastman and Edward Bausch - were associated with the founding and nurturing of the Institute.  The Institute of Optics has been strong in research in the traditional area of optical engineering as well as the more recently developed areas of quantum optics and laser physics.

The faculty of The Institute of Optics has 15 full-time members, as well as professors emeriti, part-time members, and members with joint appointments in other departments.  Included on the current faculty are Fellows of the Optical Society of America and of the American Physical Society, an Ives medalist, a Kingslake medalist, honorary degree recipients, past presidents of the Optical Society of America, a past-president of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, and numerous associate editors of journals.  The research interests of the faculty range over most areas of optics from basic to applied. For additional information on faculty, please go to Faculty.

The graduate students of The Institute of Optics are also diverse, with backgrounds in physics, electrical engineering, optical engineering, and other areas of science and engineering.  No special knowledge of optics is assumed when a student enters, but he or she is quickly exposed to a wide range of topics including diffraction and wave propagation, optical system design, interferometry, laser physics, quantum mechanics, guided wave optics, electro-optics, and semiconductor optics. Graduate students form the backbone of the programs at the Institute. Without them, much of the research and teaching could not be done. Accordingly, they are valued as talented and capable coworkers.

Why Study at The Institute of Optics?

Students may choose to enter The Institute of Optics for different reasons.  Students of physics may wish to continue their physics education at the graduate level, with a strong emphasis on optics. A wide range of courses in optical physics is offered. Additional courses in subjects such as statistical mechanics, relativistic quantum theory, and condensed matter physics are available in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Students of electrical engineering may wish to continue their EE education at the graduate level, with a strong emphasis on optics. Many exciting topics involve an interaction between electrical engineering and optics: subpicosecond electro-optic sampling, image recognition and processing, remote sensing, hybrid electrical-optical computing, and optical communication.

Another group of students, who may have either science or engineering backgrounds, may wish to pursue a graduate education in the area of optical system design and instrumental optics. This area of engineering is now rapidly expanding into virtually all segments of industrial research and product development. It includes the development of new optical materials such as gradient index glasses, and the development of methods for using these new materials in optical system design.  Also being studied are new techniques for analyzing aberrations and optical system performance.

Of course, not all students fall neatly into one of these categories, which are themselves strongly overlapping. For the student who is not certain which area would be the most rewarding, The Institute of Optics can be the ideal place. During the first year of study the student is exposed to all of these areas, through class work, through special seminars presented by the faculty, and through individual meetings in which students and faculty members can discuss their interests.

Job opportunities in optics are many and constantly growing. With optics playing an increasing role in industrial research and development, many opportunities are open there.  As many academic physics and electrical engineering departments are placing more emphasis on research and teaching in optics, demand is growing for faculty who are well educated in this area. Recent graduates have joined the faculties of major universities.  Others have taken research positions at industrial and governmental laboratories. Another very important group of graduates have either started their own small companies or joined other small companies.

The M.S. Program

The master of science degree program in optics is designed to provide the student who has a strong undergraduate preparation in physics or engineering with the knowledge and skills to contribute to state-of-the-art optics research and development. A number of options are available within the general degree requirements to satisfy the needs of students with a variety of goals in mind.

Students wishing to get a basic training in optics to enter an industrial or governmental laboratory can obtain that training in as little as nine months by taking 30 hours of course work and the master's comprehensive examination. This option is an attractive one for the engineer working in industry who desires to get advanced training in optics.  It is also possible to obtain this degree on a part-time basis.

The student who would like to combine formal education with practical industrial experience may enter the master's co-op program.  These students begin with one semester of coursework, and then spend one full year working in industry, following which they return to complete the second semester of coursework.  During the year in industry the students are paid the normal salary for employees with similar levels of experience.

Finally, the student who wishes to get advanced training in research in some particular area of optics may wish to take the thesis option. This option generally requires 12 to 18 months and it allows the student to develop a high level of expertise in a specialized field.

Master's students may be awarded tuition assistance and stipends to help support their studies. For additional information on applying for the M.S. Program and course requirements, please go to M.S. Program Outline.