Book Details

Patterns of Light : Chasing the Spectrum from Aristotle to LEDs

Publication year: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-387-75107-8

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Light is all around us – even when we do not see it. Our eyes do not detect the higher energy and shorter-than-visible-wavelength ultraviolet radiation, yet we know it is there from the sunburn we receive in Arizona. We know that window glass can block ultraviolet rays so we do not get a burn while driving with the windows rolled up. Our eyes do not detect the low-energy, long-wavelength infrared (IR) radiation but we know it exists from discussions of war applications and televised images of guided weapons targets. We also know about radio waves from the little boxes that talk to us and x-rays from the dentist's office.


Subject: Physics and Astronomy, Absorption, LED, Optics, Pinhole, Prism, Total internal reflection, refractive index, spectroscopy, Classical Electrodynamics, Quantum Optics, Microwaves, RF and Optical Engineering