Role within programme and connections to other courses. Lasers are ubiquitous in modern technology, from barcode scanners in stores, land survey equipment, to modern communication systems. Provides the theoretical basis for understanding this revolutionary device and reviews various types of lasers and their applications. Content. Electromagnetic waves in resonant cavities, two-level systems, spntaneous and stimulated processes, light amplification, inhomogeneous broadening, properties of lasers such as intensity, polarization, beam waist, wavefront curvature, line shape, and noise sources, Gaussian beams and their propagation, ABCD matrices, and higher-order TEM modes. Additional topics may include an overview of non-linear optical processes such as second-harmonic generation and four-wave mixing. NOTE: Credit can only be obtained for one of PHYS 4452 or PHYS 3452.