Dr. Bill Robertson

wmr@physics.mtsu.edu

R. F. Carlton

Physics & Astronomy

Discipline specific equipment

WPS 205A

New Technology

N/A

Funds are requested for a Optical Spectrum Analyzer. A central concept of modern physics is that all wave phenomena are described equally well in the time or in frequency domains and the ability to "unmask" the wave, so to speak, always gives deeper insight to the phenomenon. The optical spectrum analyzer will be a valuable tool to illustrate many of these concepts for light waves--from the Physics of Music course to the course in Quantum Mechanics. The primary use of the spectrum analyzer would be in the advanced lab sequence (PHYS3910/PHYS3920), which is taken by essentially all physics majors and minors, and in our Laser Physics Course (PHYS3500). In these courses the spectrum analyzer will be used for stand-alone experiments, such as determining Planck’s constant from light emitting diodes, and in conjunction with our ultrafast laser system to explore and illustrate the relation between short pulses and spectrum. The analyzer will also be used in demonstration experiments for the second semester of the University and College Physics sequences (PHYS2121/PHYS2021). The total numbers in these courses will be approximately 200 annually.