Task 4: Optical Devices

Task #4 Optical Devices

For task #4, a total internal reflection of a laser source through a prism, a basic beam expander, and a basic telescope were to be built with a schematic drawing and explanation of how they work.

Experimental Steps

TIR Through Prism

- Total internal reflection is a phenomenon that occurs when a light ray traveling from a denser medium, like glass, to a less dense medium, like air, strikes the interface between the two media at an angle greater than the critical angle. Instead of passing through the interface, the light is completely reflected back into the denser medium. This effect is a consequence of the law of reflection and is responsible for various optical applications, such as fiber optics and mirages.

Beam Expander

- A beam expander is an optical device that increases the diameter of a laser beam while preserving its collimation. It typically consists of a pair of lenses. The first lens diverges the incoming laser beam, and the second lens converges it. This results in a large and collimated output beam.

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Telescope

- A converging lens attempts to bend light towards its focal length, which in this case is 200mm. Once it reaches the diverging lens, the light becomes parallel, resulting in an amplified and zoomed-in image.

Schematic Drawing

Optics Experimental Review

What did we learn?

By building these optical devices, we were able to learn how these optical tools show how light travels, bends, and reflects through different media. The prism demonstrates three optical principles through its ability to show refraction, reflection, and critical angle behavior. The beam expander shows how lenses function to expand or concentrate light beams. The telescope demonstrates how light gathering and focusing through lenses or mirrors enables distant object magnification.