R.S. Quimby Teaching Interests

Freshman Year Physics

I teach the introductory physics course PH1120, Electricity and Magnetism, typically once per academic year. Here is the current course content. Most students at WPI take this course at some time. The challenge in teaching such a course to a diverse audience is to make it interesting, while at the same time informative and useful.

PH2201 -- Intermediate Mechanics I

I taught PH2201 during A term in the years 2007 - 2016. This course is the first upper-level physics course for most Physics majors, and is also taken by a number of Aerospace Engineering majors. The approach taken in this first of our two-part Intermediate Mechanics series is that of Newtonian mechanics. Topics include rocket motion and gravitational orbits.

PH2501 -- Photonics

This is a special topics course which I've developed over the years. It started out as a course on lasers, and then evolved into a more general course in "optoelectronics". The title has now been changed to "photonics", in keeping with current terminology. Students from a variety of departments have taken this course in the past, including Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Physics. It represents a "bridge course" connecting fundamental optical science with emerging areas of optical technology.

This course serves as an introduction to the use of optics for the transmission and processing of information. The emphasis is on understanding the physical principles underlying practical photonic devices. Topics include lasers, light emitting diodes, optical fiber communications, fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, planar optical waveguides, light modulators and photodetectors. Check the Photonics Course Web Site for more information.

The Photonics course was last offered during term B18, and will be offered again in term B20.

PH2502 -- Lasers

This course is intended to complement the Photonics course, by examining the principles and applications of lasers in more detail. Like the Photonics course, it is suitable for engineering students as well as physics majors, and can be counted toward a minor in physics. Topics include the coherent nature of laser light, optical cavities, beam optics, atomic radiation, conditions for laser oscillations, optical amplifiers (including fiber amplifiers), pulsed lasers (Q switching and mode locking), laser excitation (optical and electrical), and laser applications. More information can be obtained at the Laser course web site.

The Introduction to Lasers course was last offered during term B17, and will be offered again in term B19.

PH2601 -- Photonics Laboratory

This is an intermediate level laboratory course which I developed during the academic year 2002/2003, utilizing the newly refurbished IPG Photonics Lab on the second floor of Olin Hall. This laboratory houses state of the art equipment for photonics, laser, and optics studies. Students perform in-depth experiments in these areas and learn the fine art of making careful measurements. More information can be obtained at the Photonics Laboratory Course web site.

The Photonics Laboratory course was offered during term C17, and will be offered again in term C19.

PH597P -- Special Topics in Physics: Optical Properties of Solids

This is a new graduate level course that I offered for the first time during the fall of 2007. It is a seminar style course in which students present material for discussion based on their readings. Topics for consideration include optical absorption, luminescence, optical dispersion and resonance, band structure effects, excitons, quantum wells, plasma oscillations (including surface plasmons), phonons, and nonlinear properties. This course will be offered again when there is sufficient interest, and can be taken by graduate students for 3 credits as well as by well prepared undergraduates for either 1/3 or 1/6 units.