Wave optics, also called physical optics, deals with studying various phenomena such as polarization, diffraction, interference and other occurrences where ray approximation of geometric optics cannot be done. Thus, the section of optics that deals with the behavior of light and its wave characteristics is said to be wave optics.

The book has been divided into 16 chapters: superposition of collinear harmonic oscillators, superposition of two perpendicular harmonic oscillations, wave motion-general, wave motion in a string, velocity of waves, fluids, sound, wave optics, interference, interferometers, diffraction theory, Fraunhofer diffraction, Fresnel diffraction, polarization, laser and holography.