Our group teaches courses of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in subjects related to theoretical and experimental physics and more in particular in the field of optics. In the following we enumerate the different subjects we teach providing a brief description and the name of the responsible lecturer of each.

Degree in physics


    -G32: Basic Physcis-II: Waves, light and sound (1st Year, 1st semester).
    Main lecturer: Prof. José Mª Saiz
    -WAVES: General concepts and basic magnitudes. Wave equation. Wave superposition. Standing waves. Sound waves. Harmonics. Doppler effect. Diffraction. Special sounds, human voice and musical instruments.
    -LIGHT: Fundamentals of geometrical optics. Flat-surface optics. Diopters and optical systems. Image formation. Lenses and mirrors. Focal distance and power. Image limitation and image quality. Aberrations. The eye and other imaging systems. Microscopes and telescopes.
    -WAVE NATURE OF LIGHT: Propagation and polarization. Wave equation for the electric field. Huygens principle. Light superposition: interferometry. Young’s and Michelson’s interferometers. Multiple-wave interferences. Difraction: Basic phenomena and diffraction gratings.

    - G52: Electromagnetism and optics (3rd Year, 1st semester)
    Main lecturer: Prof. Fernando Moreno
    -ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY: Fundamentals of wave theory. Basics of electromagnetic theory. Fourier Theory.
    -POLARIZATION AND PROPAGATION IN ISOTROPIC MEDIA: Fresnel laws, Confined waves. Guides. Optical fibers.
    -DISPERSION AND ABSORPTION: Radiation emission. Dipoles. Antennas. Models of radiation-matter interaction. Resonances. Dielectric and metallic media. Metamaterials. PROPAGATION IN ANISOTROPIC MEDIA: Refraction and reflection. Natural and artificial anisotropies. Production and analysis of polarized waves. Applications in the visible range.
    -INTERFERENCES AND DIFFRACTION: Fundamentals. Two-beam interferences. Applications. Multiple-beam interferences. Coherence. Scalar theory of diffraction. Fraunhoffer and Fresnel diffraction. Cases of interest. Diffraction gratings.

    - G1778: Experimental Optics (3rd year, 2nd semester.)
    Main lecturer: Prof. José Mª Saiz
    -BASIC INSTRUMENTAL OPTICS: 6 Optical experiments related to: Transverse polarization of electromagnetic waves (generation and analysis), Radiometry Laws, Light disperssion, Color filter characterization, digital image processing. Plus: Classroom sessions for introductory purposes, Experimental displays shown and explained by the teacher, seminars presented by students.
    -PHYSICAL OPTICS: 6 Optical experiments related to: Time and space coherence, Interference with two and multiple beams, Diffraction by apertures and gratings, and Digital image. Experiments with optical fibers and lasers. Plus: Classroom sessions for intrductory purposes, Experimental displays shown and explained by the teacher, seminars presented by students.

    -G79: Advanced Experimental Techniques (4th Year)
    Main lecturer: Prof. Francisco González
    The student will perform 4 experimental projects from the following group:
    1. Analysis of a Luminous Signal with deterministic Profile by Using Photon Counting Techniques.
    2. Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor.
    3. Crystallographic studies on particle size down to the nanoscale.
    4. Ferromagnetic materials characterization (hysteresis loops)
    5. Measurement of the average life time of the muon.

    -G82: Final Project (4th year. 2nd semester.)
    Supervisors: All staff members of the group.
    Realization, presentation and defense of an original work, individually done under the guidance of a supervisor. In it, the knowledge and skills acquired during the degree are applied. In this subject, that closes the degree, the following skills are developed: a clear perception of physical situations, knowing how to resort to adequate physical theories and mathematical methods, identifying the essential elements of a problem or system to build a valid and adequate model. In the case of works with an experimental component, the aim is to understand the instrumentation and experimental methods used, with the ability to perform independently and to describe, analyze and critically evaluate the values obtained. At the end of the work, the student will defend the work, orally and in writing.

Degree in Engineering and Energy Resources.



    -G375: Physics 1 (1st Year)
    Main lecturer: Dr. Dolores Ortiz
    -INTRODUCTION: Physics and the experimental method. Vector magnitudes.
    -KINEMATICS and DYNAMICS: Rest and movement. Particle dynamics. Forces.
    -WORK AND ENERGY: Work of a force. Power. Energy. Conservative forces. Energy conservation.
    -SYSTEMS: Particle system. Collisions.
    -ROTATION DYNAMICS: Moment of a force. Moment of inertia. Angular moment conservation. Rotation and energy. Equilibrium conditions in a solid.
    -AGGREGATION STATES: Solid state and elasticity. Liquid state, hydrostatic pressure and equilibrium. Fluid dynamics. Viscosity.

    -G383: Physics 2 (1st Year)
    Main lecturer: Dr. Dolores Ortiz

    -ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM: Electric field. Dielectrics and capacitors. DC. Magnetic field. Magnetic properties of matter. Electromagnetic induction. Alternating currents.
    -THERMODYNAMICS: Thermometry. Thermodynamic system. Expansion. Law of gases. Calorimetry and First Principle of Thermodynamics. Specific heat. Second principle of thermodynamics. Performance of thermal machines.

University Master on Science and Engineering of Light..



    -M2013: Optical Design (1st semester).
    Main lecturer: Prof. José Mª Saiz
    -FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Paraxial Optics. Real systems: Limitations and Aberrations. Ray Tracing in Real Systems
    -OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS: Image-formation instruments. Instruments for far and near vision. Microscopy. Instrument design in paraxial optics.
    -RADIOMETRY AND PHOTOMETRY: Magnitudes and main relationships. Instrument application.

    -M2015: Interacción luz-materia (1st semester)
    Main lecturer: Dr. Pablo Albella
    -INTRODUCTION/REVIEW: What is light? Description and characterization of matter. Electromagnetic theory. Dispersion.
    -CLASSIC MODELS OF LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTION: Lorentz's theory. Lorentz-Lorenz model. Drude-Lorenz.
    -POLARIZATION THEORY: Description of Polarized light. Jones Matrix. Stokes parameters. Mueller's matrix.
    -SPECTROSCOPY: Introduction. Classical spectroscopy techniques INTRODUCTION TO NANOPHOTONICS: Modern optics. Diffraction. Plasmonics. Applications.
    -NUMERICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR EM PROBLEMS: Coupled Discrete Dipole Method (DDA). Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method (FDTD).