Optical Signals, Devices, and Systems
MIT's graduate course in electrical engineering and computer science covers the physical principles behind modern optical devices and systems, aimed at predicting and analyzing their design and performance. Topics include light sources such as lasers and light-emitting diodes, modulation components like liquid-crystal light modulators, transmission through free space or optical fibers, photodetectors including photodiodes and photomultiplier tubes, optical disk storage, imaging and spatial filtering systems, and LCOS microdisplays. Materials come from MIT OpenCourseWare and typically include lecture notes, problem sets, and readings covering the underlying physics of each device class. The course is free to audit, with no certificate offered through OpenCourseWare. It suits students who already have a background in electromagnetics or optics and want a systems-level treatment connecting device physics to practical optical engineering.