Tagged Questions
3
votes
2answers
81 views
Is there a way to create a flickering frequency to be dependent on speed of the person looking at it?
Is there a way to make a screen or a road sign flash at different rates, depending on the velocity of the observer looking at it?
I would like to achieve a state where two observers going at ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Eikonal approximation for wave optics. Why follow the unit vector parallel to the Pointing vector?
The description of the passage from wave optics to geometrical optics claims that light rays are the integral curves of a certain vector field (the Pointing vector direction, normalized to 1). Here ...
2
votes
1answer
117 views
Can light be canceled by merging with an inverted wave?
Can light waves be canceled by merging them with their inverted waves? Seems like it would violate conservation of energy but waves are added together when they overlap, right? Where is the flaw in ...
9
votes
2answers
331 views
Circular polarization of variable-frequency light by 3D cinema glasses
A dominant method to obtain 3D images in the cinemas seems to be circular polarization. Separate pictures are projected with (alternating) circular polarization filters and passive glasses of the ...
-1
votes
3answers
196 views
Good books about waves and optics [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What’s a good textbook to learn about waves and oscillations?
Where is a good place to learn (classical) optics?
I'm looking for a good book about waves and optics, ...
0
votes
1answer
110 views
Width of Gaussian Beam and Refractive Index
I know that in free space, the width of a Gaussian beam can be written as $W=W_0\sqrt{1+(\frac{z}{z_0})^{2}}$. However, I was wondering if it was possible to express this width as a function of ...
0
votes
1answer
155 views
Transmission of Gaussian Beam Through Graded-Index Slab
The $ABCD$ matrix of a glass graded-index slab with refractive index $n(y)=n_0(1-\frac{1}{2}\alpha^{2}y^{2})$ and length $d$ is $A=\cos(\alpha d)$, $B=\frac{1}{\alpha}\sin(\alpha d)$, $C=-\alpha ...
0
votes
0answers
204 views
Intensity of the diffraction pattern of the double slit
I am trying another approach for my last unanswered question. (Bounty still on for 3 days. Anyone? Please?) Note that this is not the same question but a greatly simplified version concerning a much ...
0
votes
3answers
251 views
Conservation of energy with Huygens-Fresnel principle
I am currently experimenting with Huygens-Fresnel principle. I am trying to simulate the propagation of a beam, emerging from an aperture slot of width w. I assume the slot to be long and therefore ...
5
votes
2answers
267 views
How does infrared light 'erase' phosphorescence on zinc sulfide?
I found some sheets of zinc sulfide in my basement that phosphoresce green for up to 24 hours or so after exposure to bright light in the violet range or shorter. One of the first things I tried was ...
2
votes
1answer
287 views
How to compute the intensity of a polarized wave going through a polaroid?
If an electromagnetic wave is linearly polarized, the intensity of the light that goes through a polaroid is proportional to the square of the cosine of the angle between the polarization plane and ...
1
vote
1answer
204 views
Transparent boundary condition. Beam propagation method
I am interested in the finite-difference beam propagation method and its applications. I try to solve the Helmholtz equation. At first, i would like to solve numerically it for the easiest case, ...
5
votes
5answers
781 views
Why aren't there compression waves in electromagnetic fields?
I just started learning about optics, and in the book I'm reading they explain how the electrical field caused by a single charged particle could be described by a series of field lines, and compare ...
2
votes
3answers
484 views
Recently publicized experiment on destructive interference between two laser beams
Recently I've had several non-physicist friends ask me, independently of each other, about an experiment where two collinear laser beams destructively interfere along a certain length. Everybody wants ...
1
vote
0answers
341 views
Double Slit Problem, Waves and Optics [closed]
Given d(slit separation)= $0.158\:\rm{mm}$, $\lambda _{red}= 665\:\rm{nm}$, $\lambda _{g/y}= 565nm$, L(distance from screen)= $2.24\:\rm{m}$
What is the distance between the third order red and ...
1
vote
2answers
350 views
Through a lens, which light beam reaches the screen first?
Imagine three light beams are "sent" to a lens simultaneously, they start at the same position but move towards the lens at different angles. The first light beam passes the lens at its edge, the ...
2
votes
3answers
677 views
Reconciling refraction with particle theory and wave theory
I have searched the web for good answers to why refraction occurs when light moves from one medium to another with different density. I have limited background in physics and want to know if there is ...
4
votes
4answers
548 views
Optical explanation of images of stars?
Very often when viewing pictures of the cosmos taken by telescopes, one can observe that larger/brighter stars do not appear precisely as points/circles on the image. Indeed, the brighter the light ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Reflected and refracted wave sphased
When we derive refraction and reflection laws for a generical plane wave on a surface, we say that reflected and refracted must be in phase with the incident wave. Why a medium cannot do a sphased ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
What is a general definition of impedance?
Impedance is a concept that shows up in any area of physics concerning waves. In transmission lines, impedance is the ratio of voltage to current. In optics, index of refraction plays a role similar ...
