Quantization of free fields. Propagators. Interacting fields and the S-matrix. Loop expansion of the S-matrix and Feynman diagrams. Path integral techniques. QED. Radiative corrections. Renormalization. Effective field theories.

Optical micro-cavities. Fabry-Perot cavity. Quality factor. Finesse. Free-spectral bands. Whispering gallery modes. Coupling. Photonic molecules, glasses, crystals and meta-materials. Optical micro-cavities. Fabry-Perot cavity. Quality factor. Finesse. Free-spectral bands. Whispering gallery modes. Coupling. Photonic molecules, glasses, crystals and meta-materials.

Quantum theory of light. Coherent light. Non-classical states of light. Quantum interferometry. Quantum measurements. Interaction of light with matter. Cavity quantum electrodynamics. Quantum entanglement and quantum teleportation. Non-linear optics. Photonic band gaps. Quantum information theory and the fundamental principles of quantum computation.

Survey of the techniques for the generation of picosecond and femtosecond pulses from lasers; active and passive mode locking, saturable absorbers, master equation, theory of Kerr lens mode locking; propagation of ultrashort pulses in nonlinear and dispersive media; Measurement and characterization of ultrashort pulses; applications of femtosecond lasers in spectroscopy, medicine, and industry.

Introduction to non-Abelian gauge field theories. QCD. Spontaneous symmetry breakdown and mass generation. Standard model of electroweak interactions. Non-perturbative effects. Supersymmetry.

Review of electromagnetism; geometrical optics, analysis of optical systems; wave properties of light, Gaussian beams, beam optics; interaction of light with matter, spontaneous and stimulated emission, optical amplification, theory and applications of lasers, optical interactions in semiconductors, light emitting diodes and diode lasers; detectors, noise in detection systems; light propagation in anisotropic crystals, Pockels and Kerr effect, light modulators; nonlinear optics, second harmonic generation, phase matching, nonlinear optical materials.

Principles of optical microscopes. Microscopy methods. Photo-physics of dye molecules. Exciting fluorescence and its observation. Dipole radiation near planar interfaces. Photon-counting analysis. Flourescence correlation spectroscopy. Flourescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Optical spectroscopy at low temperatures. Semiconducting nano-crystals. Metallic nano-particles.

Random walk problems and probability concepts. Theory of polymers. Statistical mechanical concepts with emphasois on self-avoiding walks and biological polymer models: ensembles, free energy, entropy, scaling. Lattices as interacting models of random systems and phase transitions. Dynamical phenomena: Master equation (Examples: random walk and lattice growth), Langevin equation and its generalizations. Chaos and order.