Insect And Quartz Optical Phenomena
by Science Photo Library
Title
Insect And Quartz Optical Phenomena
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Insect and quartz optical phenomena. 19th-century illustration of quartz and insects as examples of optical phenomena. The central illustration shows two layers of overlapping quartz, with the resulting display of colours due to a phenomenon called birefringence, a combination of polarisation and refraction. The colours of some insects, such as beetles, are due to a phenomenon called iridescence, due mostly to interference and diffraction of the light as it hits the layers in the insect casings. This illustration is from 'Physique Populaire' (Emile Desbeaux, 1891).
Uploaded
September 16th, 2018
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