Related papers: John Dollond's Prismatic Experiments: The Beginnin…
The article analysis was carried out within the confines of the replication project of the telescope, which was used by Mikhail Lomonosov at observation the transit of Venus in 1761. At that time he discovered the Venusian atmosphere. It is…
Analysis of the both type (flint-forward and crown-forward) achromatic doublets was carried out. The investigation revealed possible initial approximations which could be used by opticians at producing of the achromatic doublets in last…
In 1822 A. Fresnel described an experiment to separate a beam of light into its right- and left- circular polarization components using chiral interfaces. Fresnel's experiment combined three crystalline quartz prisms of alternating…
A short history of prisms from Lucius Anneus Seneca to George Ravenscroft.
On November 12, 1802, Thomas Young lays down in front of the Royal Society of London his Theory of Light and Colours. In this text, he defends a vibratory model or light, in which the peculiar attention he gives to the consequence of the…
Based on the seminal work by John T. Sheridan [1] we discuss the usefulness and validity of simple diffraction theories frequently used to determine and characterize optical holographic gratings. Experimental investigations obtained in…
Due to dispersion, light with different wavelengths, or colors, is refracted at different angles. Our purpose is to determine when is it possible to design a lens made of a single homogeneous material so that it refracts light superposition…
Some modified two-slit interference experiments were carried out showing an apparent paradox in wave-particle duality. In a typical such experiment, the screen, where the interference pattern is supposed to be formed, is replaced by a…
The controversial term "nondiffracting beam" was introduced into optics by Durnin in 1987. Discussions related to that term revived interest in problems of the light diffraction and resulted in an appearance of the new research direction of…
On November 27, 1800, Thomas Young presents for the second time to the Royal Society of London his theory of the musclurity of the crystalline lens, as being the cause of the accommodation of the eye to different distances. This question…
We entertain the use of light dependent resistors as a viable option as measuring sensors in optics laboratory experiments or classroom demonstrations. The main advantages of theses devices are essentially very low cost, easy handling and…
The first colours photographs were created by a process introduced by Edmond Becquerel in 1848. The nature of these photochromatic images colours motivated a debate between scientists during the 19th century, which is still not settled. We…
The array of micro-prisms was described by model of multi-period blazed gratings consisting of triangular apertures. The origins of hexagram-shaped diffraction patterns were interpreted based on multiple-beam interference and diffraction…
Although not laying claim to being the inventor of the light microscope, Antonj van Leeuwenhoek, (1632-1723) was arguably the first person to bring this new technological wonder of the age properly to the attention of natural scientists…
C.V. Raman (1888-1970) was one of the pioneering scientists to have emerged from India during the colonial era. His scientific explorations were driven by his curiosity to understand wave phenomena. Naturally, optics and related physical…
Ancient instruments of high interest for research on the origin and diffusion of early scientific devices in the late XVI - early XVII centuries are reproduced in three paintings by Jan Brueghel the Elder. We investigated the nature and the…
Using an experimental work on "stopped light" as an example, we show how a classical phenomenon of linear optics - interference of polarized light - can imitate the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency.
This paper contains a number of letters exchanged between MM. Dollond, Short, and Euler in 1752 regarding the construction and use of various objective lenses. The final letters, authored by Euler, appear in translation for the first time.…
The Talbot effect, also referred to as self-imaging or lensless imaging, was originally discovered in the 1830's by Henry Fox Talbot. Over the years, various investigators have found different aspects of this phenomenon, and a theory of the…
The evolution of light theories began with Isaac Newton's corpuscular model, which explained reflection and refraction but could not account for diffraction and interference. In contrast, Christiaan Huygens proposed a wave theory,…