What is Optics?

Optics is the study of light, how it is generated, propagated, and detected, and how it interacts with matter. The multidisciplinary field is rooted in physics, electrical engineering, chemistry, and materials science.

What is light?

Light is electromagnetic radiation. There are three main models to explain how light works:

  • Geometrical optics looks at light as rays. It can be used to create precise optical designs and complex lens-based optical systems.
  • Physical optics studies light as a wave. It can be used to explain phenomena including diffraction, interference, and polarization.
  • Quantum optics examines the properties of photons, or individual particles of light. It explains the unusual quantum properties of photons that seem to defy classical physics.

How is optical technology used in everyday life?

Optics is behind many of the products that we take for granted in our daily lives as well as cutting edge technology that will help shape the future. A few examples include:

  • A 35mm camera lens.

    Consumer Products

    Consumer products including the cameras we use to take photos and videos, binoculars, webcams.

  • A technician checking the mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope.

    Telescopes and Satellites

    Advanced telescopes used for space exploration and satellites used to study climate change.

  • MRI machine.

    Medical Technology

    Biomedical devices and medical imaging technology used to diagnose cancer and heal disease.

  • A drone.

    Defense Technology

    Defense technologies for weapon systems, reconnaissance, surveillance, border control, submarines, and lasers.

  • AI generated car.

    Machine Vision

    Machine vision to propel self-driving cars and monitor manufacturing processes for quality control.

What do researchers in optics study?

Because optics is a multidisciplinary endeavor, its applications are nearly endless. Some of the most exciting areas of optics research today include:

Who were the first people to study optics?

The world of optics can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks’ fascination with the idea of light and how to use it. Greek myths tell of Archimedes using mirrors to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse.

Greek (Euclid), Alexandrian (Ptolemy), and Arab (Ibn al Haytham) mathematicians discovered some of the basic mathematical rules of how light propagates. European scientists including René Descartes, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Augustin-Jean Fresnel, James Clerk Maxwell, and Albert Einstein later advanced our understanding of the rules of light. And for nearly 100 years, the Institute of Optics has been home to some of the foremost experts of the field, including Nobel laureates.

Still have questions?

See the What is the Institute of Optics? and Why Study at the Institute of Optics? pages for more information about the fascinating world of optics at the University of Rochester.