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Question: <p>I just bought a small <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11676" rel="nofollow">OLED screen</a> and was wondering is it possible to make a screen surface a little bit bigger ( 2x ) by projecting it through some optics on translucent surface. It reminds me of viewfinders in some old cameras or SLR le... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/68609/optics-for-projecting-oled-screen-dlp-style |
Question: <p>What are the advantages/disadvantages of a transmission vs a reflection grating? It seems like a transmission grating would be easiest to use. I'm trying to get a spectrum from Thomson scattered light in a plasma. The broader the spectrum of the scattered light, the hotter the plasma. It's a weak effect, ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/70353/transmission-vs-reflection-grating |
Question: <p>What is the optical illusion called where our sun seems to disappear for 3 days and then rise again into view on the third day? And where can it be viewed from?</p>
Answer: <p>I do not know about optical illusions but there are 72 hour nights (refraction taken into account) by coincidence in 72 degrees <a... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/71735/what-is-the-optical-illusion-called-where-our-sun-seems-to-disappear-from-view-a |
Question: <p>When we polarize a light, do we get electric vibrations, magnetic vibrations or the mixture of both. </p>
<p>If both, then how can both electric and magnetic vibrations occur in single plane because polarization actually means to confine these vibrations into one plane?</p>
Answer: <p>The plane of polari... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/72404/vibrations-after-polarization-of-light |
Question: <p>Almost all optical phenomenon can be explained considering a fluctuating electric field. Is there any optical phenomenon which can't be explained without considering two fluctuating fields, electric and magnetic?</p>
Answer: <p>As you say, almost everything optical can be explained through the electric fi... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/72494/is-there-any-optical-phenomenon-cant-be-explained-without-magnetic-field |
Question: <p>How does the Rayleigh scattering intensity depend on the polarization angle of the incident, linearly polarized light, and the observation angle in three dimensions?</p>
Answer: <p>In short, Rayleigh scattering is like ideal dipole radiation: the radiation pattern for Rayleigh scattering is exactly the sa... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/72938/rayleigh-scattering-in-three-dimensions |
Question: <p>This is a simple question but it seems to me that both the explanations are acceptable.</p>
<p>Let say the least distance of least distinguished vision is 25 cm.</p>
<p>An object is placed 12.5 cm in front of a plain mirror. Where should my eyes be placed such that I can see the image clearly?</p>
<p>Ac... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/75062/a-simple-question |
Question: <p>When a light passes from a denser to a rarer medium at critical angle of incidence the light rays graces through the surface of the denser medium.According to the law of reversibility of light same thing should happen when we reverse the direction of light.But, how can that be? How does the light know when... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/78678/law-of-reversibility-of-light-and-total-internal-reflection |
Question: <p>suppose that, there is a plano convex lens and its thickness is 5.00cm. If you watch it straight from the convex side, it seems that its of 4.4 cm. What is the refractive index of this lens?</p>
Answer: <p>Refraction occurs because of the slowing of light in a medium. So the ratio between the actual thick... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/81538/counting-refractive-index-of-a-plano-convex-lens |
Question: <p>I am trying to learn about optics and I am having a hard time understanding the meaning of "real" vs "virtual" image.</p>
<p>My understanding is that for a concave mirror, the image focuses on the same side as the object so it is a real image.</p>
<p>For a convex mirror, the image focuses on the opposite... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/83755/conceptual-meaning-of-virtual-image |
Question: <p>Actually I am not a physics student but I have to give a lecture about Fluorescence lifetime imaging(FLIM). I am thinking of comparing this techniques to another imaging techniques.
Does anyone know what is the best imaging techniques that is comparable to FLIM?
Thank you</p>
<p>Soha</p>
Answer: <p>Altho... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/86896/fluorescence-lifetime-imaging |
Question: <p>A Gaussian laser beam can be propagated through an optical system (consisting of free space, thin lenses, curved and flat interfaces, etc) by using the "ABCD" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_transfer_matrix_analysis" rel="nofollow">ray-transfer matrices</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.o... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/92736/propagating-higher-order-hermite-gauss-modes-using-the-complex-beam-parameter |
Question: <p>Consider two beams of light at slightly difference frequencies that are interfered at a detector. The signal of interest is contained in the phase of the observed signal. As the beams travel around they pass through a variety of optics, which slightly distort the beams' wavefronts. As I understand it, a sp... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/93520/could-a-spatial-filter-improve-a-heterodyne-signal |
Question: <p>Consider a beam with power $P_1$ and electric field amplitude $E_{01}$. It is sent through a 50/50 beam splitter that produces beams with power $P_2=P_3=P_1/2$. What are the electric field amplitudes of the split beams, $E_{02}$ and $E_{03}$? </p>
<p>From what I understand, $P=KE_0^2$ where $K$ is a const... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/93669/beam-power-and-electric-field-after-a-beam-splitter |
Question: <p>As far as I know, transmittance equals $e^{-\alpha x}$, where $\alpha$ is absorption coefficient and $x$ is thin film thickness($100-300\,nm$). My team and I have engineered a way to find absorption. Transmittance, T= (Output intensity)/(initial intensity). And, absorption A=(initial intensity-output inten... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/33212/reflectance-of-titanium-as-function-of-thin-film-thickness |
Question: <p>Is it because its internal structure is Crystalline? I mean by transparency <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_%28optics%29" rel="nofollow">following</a>.</p>
Answer: <p>No, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornea" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cornea</a> is mostly fibrous - not cryst... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/38979/what-is-primary-reason-for-a-matter-to-be-transparent-as-cornea-is |
Question: <p>This question is more practical than theoretical, but I am interested in the theoretical considerations as well.</p>
<p>My wife just bought a Samsung S3 phone with a 8 MP image sensor hiding behind a tiny lens. In daylight the pictures come out fine, but it suffers horribly in low-light conditions. Is the... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/41597/maximum-resolution-per-lens-size |
Question: <p>...to heat a piece of steel so its glowing yellow (1100 C)? Assuming you had a cloudless day at a latitude of, say, San Francisco...</p>
<p>Basically I'm wondering if it is possible/feasible to be able to do basic metal working without a traditional forge, just using the power of the sun to heat the metal... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/44716/how-big-of-a-lens-or-parabolic-mirror-would-it-take |
Question: <p>I am currently designing a lighting solution for Phillips as part of my university degree. However I am stuck on a small problem, as stated above. If I was to have a strip of perspex, with the sides matt and the bottom polished, would I achieve more light through the polished surface or the matt surface. A... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/46463/does-light-shine-better-through-a-matt-surface-or-a-glossy-surface |
Question: <p>I've come across plenty of figures demonstrating the spectral luminous efficiency as a function of wavelength (meaning the humans eye's sensitivity to different wavelengths)
<a href="http://www.yorku.ca/eye/photopik.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.yorku.ca/eye/photopik.htm</a>
but I've been unable to find ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/51957/spectral-luminous-efficiency-as-a-function-of-wavelength |
Question: <p>I once had an old microscope, that included a projection screen that could be mounted instead the eyepiece. It showed a quite decent palm-sized image. </p>
<p>Now I have a new microscope, and removed the eyepiece to mount a single lens reflex camera. However, the image projected on the ground glass, and a... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/54245/erratic-light-spot-in-optical-projection |
Question: <p>I guess this is the same as for cylinders, when light is shone through parallel to the cross-section, but Google-ing this only turns up lenses like the ones used in glasses.</p>
<p>I'm looking for something like what's described in this article: <a href="http://spie.org/x34513.xml" rel="nofollow">http://s... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/57070/is-there-a-formula-for-determining-the-focal-point-of-a-sphere |
Question: <p>If we have a planar and harmonic EM wave, with $B$ field:</p>
<p>$$B=A\left(\begin{array}{c}
1\\
i\\0
\end{array}
\right)e^{-i(\omega t-\vec k\cdot\vec r)}$$</p>
<p>and with it's corresponding $E$ field. This is a circularly polarised wave, but that field does not have 0 divergence, the three components ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/57123/circular-polarisation |
Question: <p>My Question is as follows.</p>
<p>What is the effect of refractive index of an object for imaging (Photographs by high speed camera) on its size and shape information incurred from image?</p>
<p>Lets say ,</p>
<p>I keep the camera focal length, aperture, distance between camera & object, light inte... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/56114/what-is-the-effect-of-refractive-index-of-an-object-for-imaging |
Question: <p><a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/9910/22775">Kostya answered a question</a> that was asking what the diffraction pattern looks like for a hexagonal aperture in front of a lens. He lists an equation which was derived using a Heaviside function to describe the shape of the aperture.</p>
<p>I wa... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/60070/fraunhofer-diffraction-simulation-for-a-hexagonal-aperture-what-are-the-typical |
Question: <p>can anyone help me to determine the heat flux (Kw/m2) on a focal point of a parabolic dish having a diameter of 1.5 meter and a focal length 60 cm ???
please awaiting your soonest reply for my senior project :(
Regards</p>
Answer: <p>In any practical application, the flux measured is the <em>average</em> ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/60541/how-do-you-calculate-heat-flux-kw-m2-at-the-focal-point-of-a-mirror |
Question: <p>1.How does a Telescope work?
2.What factors increase the magnification of the lens?</p>
Answer: <p>It's not quite clear what you mean by "telescope lens" - do you mean the system of lenses that make up a telescope? If so, there are two basic types. The actual lenses in your telescope are probably more co... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/8693/how-does-telescope-lens-work |
Question: <p>I'm working with a megapixel camera and lens that needs to be focused for an OCR application. In order to measure the focus quality during the set-up, I've built a tool that gives the contrast value between two pixels. In very simply words, more the contrast is high more the focus is good...
Due to optical... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11875/optical-distortions-and-focus-losses-calculation |
Question: <p>I've seen microscope lenses optimized for 0.17mm covering glass. I don't see what needs to be optimized here? As glass does not touch the lens (as in case of oil/water immersion) - it should just affect focal distance without introducing any aberrations. </p>
<p>Is that correct, or covering glass will cau... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11978/impact-of-covering-glass-on-lens-performance |
Question: <p>If we have an array of telescopes attached one after another, would the resultant magnification be multiplied?Also would such a contraption be feasible to make telescopes with amazing magnification?</p>
Answer: <p>If you head down to your local telescope shop and check out their inventory, you might see t... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/12016/magnification-multiplication-using-telescope-arrays |
Question: <p>I was wondering if it was possible to project a magnified image on a wall without the need of focusing, so just by dimensioning the lenses right.</p>
<p>I know I have to use the principal of Maxwellian View for the illumination of the slide. However, there are a lot of parameters left and I can design a s... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/12563/projecting-image-without-manual-focussing |
Question: <p>What is the characteristic bump height of periodic grating below which diffraction effect cease to exist (let assume a threshold of peaks to valleys intensity of 20% as the minimum detectable by human eye). Is it significantly less than lambda?</p>
Answer: <p>Assume sinusoidal grate -- <code>sin(x)</code>... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/12359/diffraction-pattern-threshhold |
Question: <p>Does anyone know the refractive index suppliers? I've found Cargille Labs (which customer service is terrible so far but the liquids may actually be OK), but nothing else comparable. I'd like to have a set of liquids with the refractive index in the range of 1.3...1.4. Are they so hard to produce that almo... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/12466/refractive-index-liquids-why-hard-to-buy |
Question: <p>Is there the effect of sun rising and sun setting, in terms of Rayleigh scattering and visual spectrum and other factors completely similar and symmetric? I mean can one recognise them from a picture taken from the sky?</p>
Answer: <p>The average air temperature is always lower at sunrise, which changes t... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/15324/is-the-sun-set-and-the-sun-rise-symmetrical-for-the-observer |
Question: <p>My teacher ask me one question. How the optical signal or information was transfered in fiber optics communication?</p>
<p>Then i explained it and use the word optical amplifier then teacher ask me what is optical amplifier i said which amplifies optical signal then again which device amplifies the optica... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/15388/which-device-amplifies-the-optical-signal-in-fiber-optics |
Question: <p>When taking a picture with old fashioned film what sets the resolution of the picture? Is it the wavelength, or the chemical makeup of the film?</p>
Answer: <p>Both the diffraction limit and the grain size could affect the resolution limit of analog pictures. Let's see how they compare.</p>
<p><strong>Di... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/17245/what-sets-the-resolution-on-analog-film |
Question: <p>If I put a perfect mirror(i.e. reflects with no attenuation) next to a blackbody radiator its spectra should be the same as the blackbody radiator.</p>
<p>Looking only at the spectra - is there any difference between a blackbody radiator and a perfect mirror? </p>
<p>For instance, suppose the mirror is a... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/19668/does-a-perfect-mirror-behave-the-same-as-a-blackbody-radiator |
Question: <p>I always thought that for a 3d picture, which is in fact 2 pictures that are displayed one for each eye, the more far the cameras are, the more "depth" you will see. And it's a fact i think.</p>
<p>So, for example, if you take the picture of a house and the cameras distance is let's say, 10m, you'll have ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/20088/how-its-possible-to-enhance-the-depth-effect-of-3d-pictures-without-increasing |
Question: <p>When I zoom in with <a href="http://www.stellarium.org/" rel="nofollow">Stellarium</a>, it indicates a field of view (FOV) value in degrees, but most binoculars and telescopes are advertised with value like "nX magnification power."</p>
<p>How could I translate this value so I get an idea of what I will s... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/26046/how-could-i-translate-a-field-of-view-value-into-a-magnification-value |
Question: <p>For example, could the numbers / letters on a postage stamp in a randomly specified location be clearly visible from space.</p>
<p>This is to settle a discussion with a friend that piqued my curiosity. </p>
Answer: <p>Two major issues here. Well, maybe three...</p>
<ul>
<li>Optical limits of the instru... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/26172/how-much-detail-can-telescopes-actually-provide |
Question: <p>I was always wondering, why don't we have periscope windows?
What I imagine is a "light intake" on a roof, from which the light is concentrated into a straight long <strong>narrow</strong> tube that takes it to an underground flat where the light is dispersed into a fake window.</p>
<p>Is such design math... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/413909/is-periscope-window-mathematically-possible |
Question: <p>This link seems to imply it, but I'm confused. Also, I don't intuitively see how the general shape of the gaussian remains the same. I'd expect it to be some kind of surposition between a normal gaussian and converging lines, like a $e^{-x} * sin$ function. <a href="https://www.ophiropt.com/blog/laser-meas... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/414673/is-a-converging-gaussian-beam-just-another-gaussian-beam-with-a-much-larger-rayl |
Question: <p>I know that beam splitter work with evanescent wave, and by adjusting the thickness between the two prism you can control the R,T to be 50%,50%.
But how does polarized beam splitters work?</p>
Answer: <p>There are several different types of polarizing beam splitters. For example, if we have incident unpol... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/415758/how-does-pbspolarized-beam-splitter-work |
Question: <p>For a TE wave the Fresnel coefficient <span class="math-container">$r$</span> is:
<span class="math-container">$$r=\frac{\cos(\theta_{i})-\sqrt{n^2-\sin^2(\theta_{i})}}{\cos(\theta_{i})+\sqrt{n^2-\sin^2(\theta_{i})}}$$</span>
if <span class="math-container">$\theta_{i}>\theta_{cr} \rightarrow (n^2-\sin^... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/450992/evaluation-of-fresnel-coefficient-for-theta-i-theta-cr |
Question: <p>I want to know how Raman pulses work. Also, can someone explain to me Raman transitions and Raman diffraction processes?</p>
<p>Additionally, how does phase get accumulated in the free evolution of any hyper-fine states in an atom? </p>
Answer: <p>Well the conventional lasers rely on electronic transitio... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/508675/how-do-raman-pulses-transitions-and-diffraction-processes-work |
Question: <p>I am currently reading the paper entitled "Antireflection behavior of silicon subwavelength periodic structures for visible light" [P. Lalanne & G Michael Morris, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/8/2/002" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Nanotechnology</em> <strong>8</strong>, 53 (1997)</a>].</p>... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/513667/how-to-derive-equation-upper-bound-for-the-period-to-wavelength-grating |
Question: <p>I was curious as to what would make a transmissive grating more effective than a reflective one. I have been searching but am having trouble finding an answer.</p>
<p>In literature, some semitransparent biological materials are iridescent under (oblique) transmitted light. However, the same materials, unde... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/607498/what-causes-a-transmissive-diffraction-grating-to-be-more-effective-than-a-refle |
Question: <p>From wikipedia: "In optics, the Airy disk (or Airy disc) and Airy pattern are descriptions of the best focused spot of light that a perfect lens with a circular aperture can make, limited by the diffraction of light."</p>
<p>So, is this saying that if I have a camera looking at a converging beam laser, th... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/415042/does-no-airy-disk-pattern-mean-that-a-converging-beam-of-light-is-not-at-its-foc |
Question: <p>Let we have an biconvex lens with equal radii, that means the two radii of curvature are equal. We know that from lens equation, </p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jxvqA.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jxvqA.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>For biconv... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/201776/focal-length-problem |
Question: <p>If we use a slit source [of monochromatic light] in a diffraction grating setup we obtain parallel bands on screen. If instead of slit we use a point source we don't have such bands. Can someone please explain why and how does this happen?
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lp0sy.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/206214/difference-in-the-grating-spectrum-with-different-sources |
Question: <blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/8EmUm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/8EmUm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I came across this picture while studying about Huygens' principle and Laws of Refraction.In my book I saw that it is m... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/220606/incident-angle-and-refracted-angle |
Question: <p>This is a followup to this question:
<a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/228887/3d-glasses-giving-the-opposite-effect-to-that-expected">3D glasses giving the opposite effect to that expected</a></p>
<p>The current top answer explains that objects perceived as beyond the plane of the scree... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/228987/3d-glasses-how-do-we-tell-whether-a-doubly-rendered-image-is-closer-or-farther |
Question: <p>I've recently noticed that if you look closely at the violet end of a rainbow, you can see a sort of "ringing" effect where there are alternating bands of color and lack of color. You can apparently photograph this:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Fa5au.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/230705/why-is-there-ringing-at-the-violet-end-of-a-rainbow-but-not-the-red-end |
Question: <p>Consider the setup below:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/z4GxS.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/z4GxS.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>In all cases the relationship between $u_o(x_o)$ and $u_f(x_f)$ is given by a Fourier transform. My question is, when is t... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/237147/diffraction-pattern-in-the-image-plane |
Question: <p>E.g. why does the minimum angle of resolution increase as wavelength increases?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/yebCM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yebCM.jpg" alt="Resolution and the Rayleigh Criterion"></a></p>
Answer: <p>I like to look at it the other way around: ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/255421/why-is-the-wavelength-of-light-proportional-to-the-minimum-angle-of-resolution |
Question: <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/I28Gl.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/I28Gl.png" alt="enter image description here"></a>So I understand that when light goes from a material of low index to a material of higher index it picks up a phase change of 180. Most glass has an index of... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/264465/why-dont-windows-and-mirrors-cancel-light |
Question: <p>I am studying wave optics at home. Yesterday I came across a diagram depicting single slit diffraction experiment of light, where they placed a convex lens. I could not understand the purpose of this convex lens.<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/WUH8r.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/303688/a-confusion-about-single-slit-diffraction |
Question: <p>A child's jigsaw puzzle came with two pairs of cheap cardboard-framed 3D glasses.</p>
<p>The glasses had thin plastic film in them, as lenses.</p>
<p>These thin flat plastic lenses bend about 99% of visible light by around 5-10 degrees. You can see a very faint image of the unbent scene.</p>
<p>This produ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/596903/3d-glasses-which-bend-light-about-5-10-degrees-how-do-they-work |
Question: <p>Why is geometrical optics treated in 2d? I actually never thought about it and calculated all the problems straightforward with the ABCD matrices. And then this question came to my mind for which I have no answer so far.</p>
Answer: <p>Usually optical systems are axially symmetric, so that you only need 2... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/597607/geometrical-paraxial-optics |
Question: <p>I wanted to know how to choose the right focal length lens for my silicon carbide photodetector which has a peak response of 315nm and an active area of 25mm^2 such that I can mount that lens on my photodetector to reject any ambient light and allow only UV light to pass through it. Kindly share your thoug... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/606315/how-to-choose-the-right-focal-length-lens-for-my-photodetector |
Question: <p>I'm searching for a relationship between thickness of matter and luminance.</p>
<p>I'm a tribologist and I'm doing friction and wear experiments. During these experiments I'm illuminating the surface and capturing images during the whole test. The incoming light is a diffused light generated by a lighting ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/613530/is-there-a-relationship-between-thickness-of-matter-and-luminance |
Question: <p>In the classic metaphor, a light beam bends for the same reason that a wagon getting one wheel stuck in the sand does...the wheels travel at uneven speeds, and the wheel on the smoother surface travels faster.</p>
<p>But the key to the wagon scenario is the axle - if the two wheels were not bound, the fas... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/2169/why-does-light-refract-if-photons-are-not-bound-by-an-axle |
Question: <p>If I poured water into my tea, would I see more or less of the bottom of the tea-cup?</p>
<p>Intuitively, there would be as many particles blocking as many photons, and so I'd see the bottom just as clearly as before.</p>
Answer: <p>There is some misconception in Tims question already: </p>
<blockquote>... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/4709/will-watering-tea-down-make-it-clearer |
Question: <p>If we have a larger pinhole, would it produce a larger image? <br />
I know the size of the opening will affect the brightness and sharpness of the image, but what about its size? If you think about it, a wider opening will make the light rays more spread out and therefore consequently produce a bigger (an... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/582174/will-the-size-of-the-pinhole-affect-the-size-of-the-image-produced |
Question: <p>If we have a ray striking a plane then the unit vector in direction of the incident ray can be thought of as rotating in a plane that contains the normal to interface and the part of the unit vector along the plane of the interface.</p>
<p>However, I can not understand why this unit vector is not rotated a... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/585403/why-does-incident-ray-refracted-ray-and-normal-lie-in-the-same-plane-looking |
Question: <p>In making wafers for chips, when using masks and demagnifying to a smaller size, is there any limit to demagnification? For light, a microscope’s numerical aperture and wavelength limitation prevents the level of magnification from becoming higher than a certain level.</p>
Answer: <p>The optical resolutio... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/587416/is-there-a-limit-to-demagnification-of-an-image-as-there-is-for-magnification |
Question: <p>What if a source of white light is within the prism itself. Let's say it emits a thin beam of white light. Now the speed of different wavelengths is different but it is not being refracted at a surface (atleast until it emerges from the other side), so what will happen to it? Will it stay together as white... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/591428/bulb-inside-the-prism |
Question: <p>(60th Polish Olympiad in Physics)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A planoconvex lens of radius of curvature <span class="math-container">$R$</span> and thickness <span class="math-container">$d$</span> (on the optical axis) is made of a material, whose refractive index changes with the distance from the axis according... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/173808/a-lens-with-a-variable-refractive-index |
Question: <p>Vortex beams are characterized by an azimuthal angle phase dependence, basically <span class="math-container">$e^{i l\phi}$</span>. Why is this azimuthal angle phase dependence crucial and will I get a helix if I were to plot the surface of constant phase for Laguerre Gaussian beams?</p>
<p>NB: I have edit... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/568765/helical-wavefronts-of-vortex-beams |
Question: <p>When rainbow happens,we see the rainbow as a whole.</p>
<p>When the light enter each drop,the chromatic dispersion should happen in each drop independently and we should see multiple small rainbows.</p>
<p>So why do we see it as a big one?</p>
Answer: <p>What you see when you're viewing a rainbow at any... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/244199/why-rainbow-doesnt-happen-in-each-drop-independently |
Question: <p>My question is that how the diffraction is not a common phenomenon of light.Here the lunar eclispe also is on the same basis but the diffraction is only a feature of sound .how?</p>
Answer: <p>Noticeable diffraction occurs when the wavelength is similar in size to the obstacle in the path of the waves. S... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/246335/rare-occurence-of-diffraction-in-light |
Question: <p>I saw this posted on the forum with an answer:
<a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/209716/cause-of-spherical-aberrations">Cause of Spherical Aberrations</a></p>
<p>However, the answer helps explain aberration in lenses. Why is there spherical aberration in concave mirrors?</p>
<p>Thanks,... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/249384/spherical-aberration-in-concave-mirrors |
Question: <p>How does total internal reflection cause sparkling of diamonds? What is the problem with ordinary glass?</p>
Answer: <ol>
<li>The <em>index of refraction</em> for diamond is much larger than for ordinary glass which means the critical angle in air is much smaller. More rays inside the diamond will experi... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/249767/how-does-total-internal-reflection-cause-sparkling-of-diamonds |
Question: <p>I'm reading about an experiment done with this piece of equipment. The aim is to measure the thickness of a piece of plastic. They use white light, so the central fringe in the interference pattern, corresponding to equal path lengths in the two beams can be used as a reference. Why does that work?? I don'... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/228678/michelson-interferometer |
Question: <p>While the apparent fact that there's more diverging light rays than convergings ones seems to be intuitive, mathematically I can't find a reason to be so.</p>
<p>More specifically, given a vector field of light rays $\overrightarrow{v}\left(x,y,z,t\right)$, we want to find its overall divergence, i.e inte... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/148154/why-we-see-more-diverging-light-rays-than-converging-light-rays |
Question: <p>I'm trying to split a high power laser (1064nm, 20W, beam diameter @ 1/e^2 intensity: 3.2mm) into two beams and couple them after some additional optics into two SMF's (single mode fiber). So far I tried a PBS (polarizing beam splitter) cube and a NPBS (non polarizing beam splitter) cube. I can split the b... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/86398/high-power-beam-splitting |
Question: <p>Is it possible to use a clever combination of lenses and mirrors placed between your eye and a screen 1m away from you to make the eye react to the screen as if it were 20m away from you?</p>
<p>Note that I'm not asking whether it's possible to make the light rays travel a total distance of 20m, but whethe... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/675951/mirrors-optics-and-physical-adaptation-of-the-eye |
Question: <p>I have a monochromatic light source (wavelength ~ 420 nm), which will be incident on the interface of two different media. Could someone please explain if the Fresnel equations applies with monochromatic light when estimating the reflectance and transmittance?</p>
<p>Fresnel equation:</p>
<p><span class=... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/498946/do-the-fresnel-equations-of-reflection-apply-to-monochromatic-light |
Question: <p>I've been reading <a href="https://www.osapublishing.org/aop/fulltext.cfm?uri=aop-13-1-74&id=448989" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a> about calibrating optical tweezers (finding the trap stiffness <span class="math-container">$\kappa$</span>). Around the end of section 2.2 it says</p>
<blockq... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/679449/optical-tweezers-trap-stiffness-for-calculating-external-force |
Question: <p>How would one even characterize roughness of a material experimentally using statistical analysis or by a set of equations
And how would I relate the roughness to the intensity of light scattering?</p>
Answer: <p>To answer the second part: it's almost always done empirically by measuring a sample of the... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/208251/how-would-one-characterize-intensity-of-diffuse-scattering-as-a-function-of-roug |
Question: <p>I am reading this <a href="https://doi.org/10.1078/0030-4026-00177" rel="nofollow noreferrer">paper</a>. It consider the far-field region for the paraxial equation, <span class="math-container">$(\partial^2_x+\partial^2_y-2ik\partial_z)u(x,y,z)=0$</span>. Within the Rayleigh range, the solution will be des... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/685317/spherical-wave-solution-for-paraxial-equation-in-far-field-region |
Question: <p>I've heard that Edison (maybe) invented a way to talk over a light beam. Is this true and how do you modulate the light beam?</p>
Answer: <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliograph" rel="nofollow">Heliographs</a> permit communication over large distances with visible light, albeit with a rather ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/22382/can-a-light-beam-be-used-as-a-wire-for-telephony |
Question: <p>In <a href="https://youtu.be/dWBYAxhH3u4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this video</a> of Adam ruins everything, Adam tries to debunk the claim that moon landing was fake using a central argument that we couldn't produce parallel beam of white light to mimic sunlight with computer graphics or lasers.</p>
<p><s... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/665059/moon-landing-artificial-generation-of-parallel-beams-of-light |
Question: <p>I am looking to use a half silvered one-way mirror to allow as much light and solar energy as possible into a room where there are highly reflective surfaces within the room - and I want to keep the energy from reflecting back outside - trap as much light/energy as I can in the room. That's why I am wonder... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/509209/transmittance-through-a-reversed-one-way-mirror |
Question: <p>I'm a computer engineering student working on my senior project that involves some optics. Illadvised though it may be, I'm contemplating building a telescope based on a simple achromatic refractor design for use in an automated astrophotography rig. I'm trying to work out how to build a compact telescope ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/700213/focal-length-calculation-not-matching-intuition |
Question: <p><a href="https://www.cse.unr.edu/%7Ebebis/CS791E/Notes/PerspectiveProjection.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In this PDF</a>, it says the following about perspective projection:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The distance to an object is inversely proportional to its image size.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What causes this e... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/700720/why-is-distance-to-an-object-inversely-proportional-to-image-size-when-using-per |
Question: <p>This <a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-are-there-7-colours-in-the-rainbow-while-there-are-only-3-or-4-colours-that-appear-to-us" rel="nofollow noreferrer">post</a> says</p>
<blockquote>
<p><code>There aren’t seven colors in the rainbow</code>, or any other specific number; Newton described seven colors... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/496318/there-aren-t-seven-colors-in-the-rainbow-is-this-claim-appropriate |
Question: <p>As the phase modulator, can electro-optic amplitude modulator generate sidebands?</p>
<p>I'm really confused now...</p>
<p>Please help me out.</p>
Answer: | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/572353/can-electro-optic-amplitude-modulator-generate-sidebands |
Question: <p>I am now studying the rotational Doppler effect of partially coherent light, and I theoretically calculate that the cross-spectral density of completely incoherent light when coupled into a fiber is zero, but my instructor doesn't think so.</p>
Answer: | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/704813/can-single-mode-fiber-collect-incoherent-light |
Question: <p>Suppose I have a ray of light incident on a plane mirror in the general form of <span class="math-container">$$ai+bj-ck$$</span>. I have a normal that is along <span class="math-container">$$\frac{i+j}{√2}$$</span>. The question asks me to find the unit vector but that is not what I'm asking. My question i... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/708118/i-have-been-told-that-in-an-xyz-plane-the-normal-on-incident-point-is-given-how |
Question: <p>The question is as simple as I described in the title. Can you see an image created by a projector with your bare eyes? If so, where should you stand with respect to projector?</p>
Answer: <p><strong>Don't try this because the light will be too bright to be safe for your eyes.</strong></p>
<p>The projecto... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/636236/can-you-see-an-image-created-by-projector-with-bare-eyes |
Question: <p>I have heard things like polarized phone screens being attributed to this effect but this wouldn't explain this phenomenon for non polarized phone screens under bright sunlight. Am I missing something?</p>
Answer: <p>No. This is just because difference between white pixels and black pixels is overwhelmed ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/699093/is-the-dimming-of-a-phone-screen-under-bright-sunlight-an-example-of-destructive |
Question: <p>When you take the back off an LCD panel and remove the backlight, you are left with a translucent panel. But when I look <em>through</em> the panel, even in its "clear" state, objects look blurry. Why is this? Shouldn't they just be dimmer, as the front polarizer blocks half of the light? Is diffraction to... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/242551/why-does-looking-through-an-lcd-panel-make-things-blurry |
Question: <p>Today my teacher was discussing the Poisson spot and gave a simple explanation for why there must be a bright spot on the axis of the disc when illuminated with parallel monochromatic light.</p>
<p>What he said was:</p>
<p>Say we instead have a circular aperture in an infinite plane, we know there must be ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/706047/a-mysterious-phase-difference |
Question: <p>While studying optics and the ray diagrams, I observed that the real images were always inverted and virtual were always erect. I have read several articles but haven't got any convincing answer. Someone please help !</p>
Answer: <p>For a counterexample, for a thin lens:</p>
<p><span class="math-container... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/714724/why-the-real-image-is-always-inverted-while-virtual-image-is-always-erect |
Question: <p>In learning about the effects of fabric bluing (it seems to mask yellowed fabric using a small amount of blue dye) I've wondered how this compares with the also-perceived blue of glaciers.</p>
Answer: <p>I think they are different phenomena. The blue from glaciers is due to scattering of light and absorpt... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/714740/comparison-of-fabric-bluing-and-blue-glaciers |
Question: <p>What is partial internal reflection? Please elaborate with examples.</p>
<p>Why this phenomenon happens?
I searched on the internet but found nothing much. </p>
<p>Is this phenomenon involved in rainbow formation?
I think so because in the formation of a rainbow, TIR can't be involved. The geometry of ... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/524870/partial-internal-reflection |
Question: <p>Sometimes displays with the same resolution, diagonal and aspect ratio appear to have different level of sharpness .</p>
<p>In optics there is this concept of diffraction and if you can lower your diffraction the image gets sharper .</p>
<p>It's possible to get a simple explanation about why displays tha... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/145949/do-tn-and-ips-displays-are-subject-to-diffraction |
Question: <p><a href="https://math24.net/optimization-problems-physics.html#example6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This page</a> says illuminance is
<span class="math-container">$$E=\frac{I}{L^2} cos \space \alpha$$</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/a-lamp-is-hanging-along-the-axis-of-a-circular-ta... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/725265/illuminance-formula |
Question: <p>$\angle I +\angle E=\angle A+\angle D$</p>
<p>Angle of incidence + angle of emergence = angle of prism (Normally $60^\circ$) + angle of deviation.</p>
<p>If their sum is not equal,we made personal error in doing an experiment with prism. Please make sense of this equation. </p>
Answer: <p>The following... | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/56624/where-did-this-equation-come-from-%e2%88%a0i-%e2%88%a0e-%e2%88%a0a-%e2%88%a0d |
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