655-331 Light & Image Formation: Applications

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

655-101 Optical Systems. Students without the above prerequisite may be admitted to the subject by the head of department.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

By the completion of this subject students should have a sound understanding of light and image formation and the measuring techniques required to quantify them with direct applications to industrial and commercial environments. Students will learn the standard way of defining and measuring colours in industrial and clinical situations and the importance of colour contrast to maximize information display, both with respect to health and safety situations and in the advertising arena. Students will learn about image formation and visibility, including the neural and optical limits of vision, vision through the atmosphere and techniques in specifying vision. The use of optical instruments to improve visual acquisition through devices such as telescopes, microscopes, image intensifiers will be covered in detail. The optics and ergonomics of display systems including computer displays, virtual reality systems, photographic displays, liquid crystal displays will be covered and the information capacity and man-machine interface of these displays will also be detailed. The optics and technology behind modern imaging systems used in medical and laboratory sciences including scanning laser techniques for imaging the eye or other living structures, confocal microscopy, ultrasound imaging techniques and magnetic resonance imaging techniques will also be covered.

Assessment

A 2-hour written examination and assignments throughout the semester.