The Unseeable: Can They Do It?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Someone502
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the concept of "unseeable" phenomena, particularly in relation to light and vision. It explains how vision relies on light reflecting off objects and stimulating the eyes and brain. The idea of "frozen light" is introduced, suggesting that if light is indeed frozen, it wouldn't reach our eyes, making it unseeable. The conversation also touches on the mechanics of light being bounced between mirrors rather than being truly stopped. Overall, the topic raises questions about the nature of visibility and the limits of human perception.
Someone502
Messages
40
Reaction score
0
I know that they can do it, but what would it look like, or is it unseeable?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Unseeable

Think about how vision works: We "see" light that strikes our eyeballs after bouncing off of objects. The light is an electric pulse that stimulates a current in our eye and brain.

That said, frozen light (which I have heard of but do not actually know about) does not actual reach our eyeball if it is indeed frozen, and so we cannot see it.
 
Someone502 said:
I know that they can do it, but what would it look like, or is it unseeable?
Here's an article about it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3308109.stm

Essentially it seems the photons aren't really stopped they are bounced back and forward between the equivalent of 2 mirrors.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thread 'A quartet of epi-illumination methods'

Thread 'A quartet of epi-illumination methods'

Well, it took almost 20 years (!!!), but I finally obtained a set of epi-phase microscope objectives (Zeiss). The principles of epi-phase contrast is nearly identical to transillumination phase contrast, but the phase ring is a 1/8 wave retarder rather than a 1/4 wave retarder (because with epi-illumination, the light passes through the ring twice). This method was popular only for a very short period of time before epi-DIC (differential interference contrast) became widely available. So...
View full post »

Thread 'Effective absorption coefficient of gold nanoparticles'

I am currently undertaking a research internship where I am modelling the heating of silicon wafers with a 515 nm femtosecond laser. In order to increase the absorption of the laser into the oxide layer on top of the wafer it was suggested we use gold nanoparticles. I was tasked with modelling the optical properties of a 5nm gold nanoparticle, in particular the absorption cross section, using COMSOL Multiphysics. My model seems to be getting correct values for the absorption coefficient and...
View full post »

Similar threads

B Free Online Lecture: Seeing the Unseeable - Capturing an Image of a Black Hole
Replies
5
Views
2K
Drew Berry: Animations of unseeable biology
Replies
12
Views
5K
What is the alternative to the concept of a singularity in cosmology?
Replies
10
Views
4K
I Question about two interference patterns viewed at infinity
Replies
7
Views
2K
I How Can I Build an Effective DIY Helmet-Mounted HUD?
Replies
19
Views
3K
I Newton's rings at an oblique angle of incidence of light
Replies
1
Views
1K
B How would someone see light from something like a flashlight in a tunnel?
Replies
6
Views
2K
I Need Help Identifying Old Optic Device
Replies
6
Views
2K
I Can an Aspheric Lens Narrow the FOV for Motion Detection Systems?
Replies
1
Views
2K
Can Two Laser Beams with Different Phases Interfere?
Replies
10
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top