What Will the Lab Do?
Many basic optical demonstrations such as the law of reflection, focusing of lenses, optical interference patterns, and index of refraction measurements are simple to perform. We will be able to use the new lab immediately for such demonstrations, and this will provide an immediate connection to our School of Rhetoric physics classes and Grammar School studies in physical science. These experiments don't require a sophisticated optics lab, but we will enjoy taking advantage of the lab for these whenever we can. But the more sophisticated experiments, for which the equipment in the lab will really be necessary, take a great deal of time to develop. Added to this challenge is the fact that if we rush things without adequate research, we could make equipment purchases that do not suit our needs, forcing us to buy more equipment. With these factors in mind, it is our present goal to develop these three projects during the 2009-2010 year.

• Make holograms. As early as possible in fall 2009 we will begin exploring various techniques for making transmission and reflection holograms. Technologies here are fairly accessible and expectations for success are high. Students will be able to keep their holographic images and show them off to their friends and family. We will also look at putting one of our images on permanent display near the Laser Optics Lab.

• Explore basic interferometry. Interferometry can be used to analyze vibration modes of musical instruments, expansion and contraction of materials experiencing changing temperature, optical density of gases at different temperatures, and other many materials phenomena.

• Investigate Raman Spectroscopy. This technique uses digital spectrometers to collect scattered laser light from a sample of "mystery solution." By using computer-based spectrum analyzer software, the exact frequencies of the scattered light can be compared to the frequency patterns from known solutions (chemical fingerprints), and the components in the mystery solution can be identified. This project is likely to be tricky, but payoff for students will be high. This project will be the first project that takes us well into the realm of chemistry. Raman spectroscopy technology has many other applications in molecular analysis which we hope to look into in the future.

We have preliminary ideas for some even more exotic explorations to pursue in future years. We will establish a timeline for these projects when we have had time to learn more about them.

• Produce visible laser light from invisible (infrared) laser light. When high speed pulses of infrared light from an Nd:YAG laser are polarized and focused on a crystal of potassium dihydrogen phosphate the electron motions excited inside the crystal will result in an emission of laser light with twice the frequency. Thus, although nothing visible is going into the crystal, a bright green laser light will be coming out.

• Create a laser from food coloring (dye laser). A beam of invisible ultraviolet light from a nitrogen laser can be focused through a cylindrical lens into a vial of food coloring (dye). If the vial of dye is positioned between two appropriate mirrors, the dye will lase and create a visible laser light.