Nanophotonics
Advanced study of nanophotonics covering EM waves, waveguides, plasmonics, metamaterials, and FDTD simulations at nano/micro scales.
Summary
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.85 GPA, 94.1% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.58 GPA, 67.7% A/AB (n=31 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.22 GPA, 55.6% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).
What you’ll be able to do
Demonstrate an understanding of electromagnetic waves in various media, at boundaries and interfaces, and in various types of waveguides
Carry out a variety of two-dimensional (and, depending on the project, three-dimensional) simulations using the finite-difference time-domain method
Recall, summarize, and evaluate basic nanofabrication concepts as they relate to nanophotonic structures
Identify, formulate, and solve problems describing localized and propagating surface plasmons in various geometries
Demonstrate awareness and understanding of various applications of nanophotonics and plasmonics, especially in the areas of sensing and biomedical applications
Recall the similarities and differences between composite materials, metamaterials, metasurfaces, and related photonic structures
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapGraduate/professional standing
- Graduate/professional standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Graduate/professional standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.85 GPA, 94.1% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.58 GPA, 67.7% A/AB (n=31 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.22 GPA, 55.6% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
No workload feedback recorded.
Topics
- Electromagnetic waves and computational methods
- Waveguides and optical resonators
- Plasmonics and surface plasmons
- Metamaterials and metasurfaces
- Nanofabrication and thin-film interference
Skills
- Perform FDTD simulations
- Solve surface plasmon problems
- Evaluate nanofabrication concepts
- Differentiate metamaterials and metasurfaces
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
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Selected offering source records
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Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
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Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "009de170c1d92e0860c28bcd3205f2058c5fabe31eb257dd265880a8dd9567c8",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}