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View Full Version : can we trap light???


abc007
Aug27-10, 12:06 PM
hi every body
i read about Optical fiber and how light is reflecting inside wire by the principle of Total internal reflection and I wonder, is it possible to trap light between mirrors and if yes,then is it going to be an energy losses ??
:confused:

Karoka
Aug27-10, 12:14 PM
I dont think we can trap light because there cant be perfect angle so that light could come in and dont come out

gk007
Aug27-10, 12:27 PM
Between normal mirrors that we can produce with todays technology, there will always be losses, you can see this when you hold two mirrors opposite each other, in theory the reflections should go on for ever, but in practice they curve away due to imperfections in the mirror.

However, I don't think that there is anything (theoretically) stopping someone from trapping light in that way.

abc007
Aug27-10, 02:36 PM
Thank you for replying

but how the mirror will arrange to make it theoretically possible ?

Phrak
Aug27-10, 02:45 PM
Perhaps not what you had in mind, but there is this:

http://www.nature.com/nchina/2009/090121/full/nchina.2009.12.html