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402-0558-00L 6 Credits DR , MSC D-MATL , D-PHYS

Crystal Optics in Intense Light Fields

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Manfred Fiebig
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:17

Abstract

Because of their aesthetic nature crystals are termed "flowers of mineral kingdom". The aesthetic aspect is closely related to the symmetry of the crystals which in turn determines their optical properties. It is the purpose of this course to stimulate the understanding of these relations with a particular focus on those phenomena occurring in intense light fields as they are provided by lasers.

Objective

In this course students will at first acquire a systematic knowledge of classical crystal-optical phenomena and the experimental and theoretical tools to describe them. This will be the basis for the core part of the lecture in which they will learn how to characterize ferroelectric, (anti)ferromagnetic and other forms of ferroic order and their interaction by nonlinear optical techniques. See also http://www.ferroic.mat.ethz.ch/research/index .

Content

Crystal classes and their symmetry; basic group theory; optical properties in the absence and presence of external forces; focus on magnetooptical phenomena; density-matrix formalism of light-matter interaction; microscopy of linear and nonlinear optical susceptibilities; second harmonic generation (SHG); characterization of ferroic order by SHG; outlook towards other nonlinear optical effects: devices, ultrafast processes, etc.

Resources

Lecture Notes

Extensive material will be provided throughout the lecture.

Literature

(1) R. R. Birss, Symmetry and Magnetism, North-Holland (1966) (2) R. E. Newnham: Properties of Materials: Anisotropy, Symmetry, Structure, Oxford University (2005) (3) A. K. Zvezdin, V. A. Kotov: Modern Magnetooptics & Magnetooptical Materials, Taylor/Francis (1997) (4) Y. R. Shen: The Principles of Nonlinear Optics, Wiley (2002) (5) K. H. Bennemann: Nonlinear Optics in Metals, Oxford University (1999) (6) M. Fiebig: Nonlinear Optics on Ferroic Materials, Wiley-VCH (2023)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
DR , MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
session examination
Mode
oral 30 minutes
30 minutes = 20 minutes exam + 10 minutes assessment and transfer

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture Crystal Optics in Intense Light Fields
  • Wed 13:45-15:30 (HIT J 51)
2 h weekly
exercise Crystal Optics in Intense Light Fields
  • Wed 15:45-16:30 (HIT J 51)
1 h weekly

Offered In