Patterns of Light: Chasing the Spectrum from Aristotle to LEDs
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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.Patterns of Light, Chasing the Spectrum from Aristotle to LEDs, written by Steve Beeson and Jim Mayer starts with the visible – the straight path of light. It continues with chapters detailing reflection (mirrors, storefront windows) and refraction (eyeglasses, binoculars). Color is then introduced with the query "Why is the sky blue?" After answering that and other similar questions ("Why is snow white?"), the book goes beyond the visible to the infrared and ultraviolet. Patterns of Light’s many colorful photos and figures further aid in the reader’s grasp of the concepts discussed.Patterns of Light is a descriptive, rather than technical, book with the mathematics behind light included in the appendices. The book is designed for physics students of optics and engineering, but will certainly be enjoyed by all readers interested in gaining a broader perspective on light and its history.
1 The Path of Light 11.1 The Straight and Narrow 11.2 The Fastest Thing Around 31.3 Standing in the Shadows 51.4 The Reversible Path of Light 71.5 The World through a Hole 81.6 A Room with a View 102 The Reflection of Light 132.1 Reflections on the Past 132.2 All Things Equal 152.3 From the Looking Glass 162.4 The Curved Mirror 192.5 Shaving and a Spoon 202.6 The Rough Edges 223 Daguerreotypes: Light Captured 253.1 A Race to Capture Light 253.2 Tripping the Light Fantastic 263.3 It's all in the Reflection 294 The Refraction of Light 334.1 From Galaxy to Fish 334.2 Altering the Speed of Light 334.3 The Light Brigade 364.4 The Properties of Waves 384.5 On the Beach 404.6 The Law of Refraction 424.7 The Refractive Index 434.8 Total Internal Reflection 454.9 Diffraction: Newton's Mistake 465 Lenses: From Water Drops to Telescopes 495.1 Viewing the Unknown 495.2 The Focal Length 505.3 Of Objects, Images, and Burning Glasses 525.4 Burning Glasses 535.5 Measuring Magnification 555.6 The Compound Microscope 575.7 A New Microscope 595.8 Inside the SEM 625.9 Optical versus Electron Microscopy 645.10 Seeing the Distant 665.11 Imperfect Light 675.12 The Most Advanced Camera 695.13 Still an Imperfect Camera 716 Sources of Light and Color 756.1 Crossroads 756.2 Waves, Rebounding 756.3 Waves, Unfolding 786.4 Photons, Reflecting 806.5 The Color of Objects 826.6 Sources of Light 836.7 Replacing Edison 856.8 Revolution in White Light Sources 866.9 Tricking Photons with Lasers 876.10 Structural Color 886.11 The Eye and Color Sensation897 Diffraction and Interference 917.1 Light as a Wave 917.2 Wave Interference 917.3 Young's Interference 937.4 Color from Interference 947.5 Soap Bubbles 957.6 Oil Slicks and Lens Coatings 967.7 Newton's Rings 997.8 Birds of a Feather 997.9 Diffraction 1007.10 Diffraction Gratings 1018 Rainbows 1038.1 Through the Looking Glass 1038.2 The Pot of Gold 1038.3 A Rainbow by Hand 1058.4 The Antisolar Point 1068.5 Rainbows in 3D 1088.6 The Double Rainbow 1098.7 The Light inside a Rainbow 1128.8 Rainbows Far Afield 1139 Sea, Sky, and Cloud 1159.1 Beam of Light 1159.2 The Color of Sky 1159.3 The Color of Sea 1169.4 The Color of Smoke 1189.5 White Clouds and Smoke 1199.6 Salt with your Beer? 1229.7 The Remains of the Day 1239.8 The Shadow in the East 1259.9 Beyond the Horizon 1259.10 An Oasis in the Sahara (or the Arctic) 1279.11 Sundogs and Halos 12910 Polarized Light and Sunglasses 13110.1 Sunglasses 13110.2 Polarized Light 13210.3 Polarization by Reflection 13310.4 Polarization by Scattering 13410.5 Polarization by Absorption 13510.6 Calcite and Double Refraction 13610.7 Polarization and the Eye 13811 Photons, Electrons, and the Atom 13911.1 Light is Created and Destroyed 13911.2 Packets of Energy 13911.3 The Electron 14011.4 The Bohr Model of the Atom 14211.5 Light and Electrons 14211.6 Electrons and the Spectrum 14311.7 X-ray Energies 14511.8 Characteristic X-rays 14612 X-rays, Ultraviolet Light, and Infrared 14712.1 Beyond the Visible 14712.2 Discoveries beyond the Visible 14812.2.1 Infrared (IR) Radiation 14812.2.2 Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation 14912.2.3 X-radiation (X-rays) 14912.3 Light Absorption 15212.4 X-ray Absorption 15212.5 Fluorescence with Ultraviolet Light 15312.6 Infrared Light 15412.7 Infrared Space Exploration 15413 X-ray Emission: Earth, Moon, and Mars 15713.1 The Moon 15713.2 X-ray Emission 15813.3 X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) 15813.4 Electron Microprobe and Electron Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) 16013.5 Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) 162Appendix A 165References 185Index 187
