PlusMINT: Sound and Lasers
Here's what you can expect from our plusMINT project!
The plusMINT Physics project was designed for anyone interested in physics who wants to get a glimpse into what it’s like to study physics. It doesn’t matter whether you took physics as an advanced course or didn’t take any physics at all in high school!
The project is structured so that on the first day of the experiment, you’ll clearly investigate and learn about the wave phenomena necessary for understanding a laser through sound wave experiments.
On the second day of experiments, you’ll then apply your newly acquired knowledge of wave phenomena to a helium-neon laser to determine the speed of light in an experiment. To do this, you’ll assemble the laser yourself from its three components (resonator, laser medium, and energy pump).
Finally, on the third day of the lab, you will work with a pulsed laser. “Pulsed” means that the laser does not emit light continuously, but only in short “flashes of light.” These flashes of light are so brief that their duration cannot be measured with conventional instruments. You will therefore learn an optical method for determining the pulse duration, which you can use to measure the duration of these ultrashort laser pulses.
The practical work involved takes about one afternoon per experiment day. In preparation, you will receive a manual containing all the important information on the theory and procedure for conducting the experiments. To earn credits, you must prepare a lab report in which you describe everything you did and evaluate and discuss the measurement data you collected.
The dates can be chosen freely in consultation with the supervisor.
Elective course for the Bachelor plusMINT program:
- Credits: 3
- Room: 0411 (AVZ III)
- Contact: Fabian Westmeier (fabian.westmeier@unikassel.de), Jochen Mikosch (mikosch@unikassel.de)
- Advisor: Fabian Westmeier