PHYS 456Optics 2

Units: 0.50
Faculty: Science
Subject: Physics

When it runs

Ran in 0 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Fourier Optics: diffraction, dispersion, coherence, imaging. Polarization: birefringence, Jones vectors, Mueller Matrices. Fresnel Equations: optics at an interface, thin films. Light-matter interactions. Propagation of Gaussian beams, introduction to non-linear optics.

Prerequisites

Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
  - AMATH353 - Partial Differential Equations 1 (0.50)
  - PHYS364 - Mathematical Physics 1 (0.50)
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
  - ECE404 - Geometrical and Physical Optics (0.50)
  - PHYS256 - Geometrical and Physical Optics (0.50)
  - PHYS356 - Optics 1 (0.50)

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
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Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar

2026–27 (shown here)
2019–20 and earlier on ucalendar