Image of the Week

F.R.O.G.

An experimental interferometric frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) trace of an ultrashort laser pulse from a Ti:sapphire oscillator. The trace is presented using a custom Matlab colormap.

—Travis N. Jones, Ph.D. student, Ultrafast Optics Group, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

20 May 2019

Laser Maze

The signature Laser Maze from Laser Fun Day 2019 at the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences, run by the Student Optics Chapter (SOCk). Student volunteers pose in the maze in this six second exposure. The laser powers are kept very low in order to keep them eye safe for the hundreds of visitors who attempt to cross the maze without setting off the alert lights. Two smoke machines give the laser beams ample opportunities to scatter, making them visible despite the low beam power.

—Benjamin M. Cromey, The University of Arizona

13 May 2019

Fluorescent Cobra

Grains of Rhodamine 6B, leaving trails of fluorescent emission while sinking to the bottom of the glass vial filled with pure ethanol and going into a solution during that process. The shape assumed by the fluorescent dye's trails is rereminiscent of a cobra with its split tongue out, ready to strike.

—Frederik N. Hasselmann, WWU Munster and Mathias Hünecke

06 May 2019

Ink drop

Blue color gradient. Subject: Blue ink droplet in water. Photo captured by Google Pixel XL. Exposure time: 1/50 sec, ISO-158.

—Souvik Ghosh, postdoctoral research associate

29 Apr 2019

Laser diode ruby laser

A gallium nitride (GaN) laser diode pumped ruby laser. The gap between the blue and red beams is the laser cavity. The beams are made visible by tracing them with a white card while the camera shutter is open.

—Jason Zweiback, Triangulum Technology

22 Apr 2019

The M87 Black Hole

An image of the black hole at the center of galaxy M87, obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope—a very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) array of eight high-altitude millimeter-wave astronomy facilities distributed across Earth’s surface.

—Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration et al.

15 Apr 2019

Magnesium Fluoride Microresonator

Third-harmonic generation in magnesium fluoride microresonator. This is the top-view image of the microresonator generating green color when pumped with 1582-nm light.

—Noel Lito B. Sayson, Ph.D student, University of Auckland, New Zealand

08 Apr 2019

$The Beauty of a Diffractive Fiber$

The Beauty of a Diffractive Fiber

The output of a multi-color laser is diffracted from the tip of an optical fiber.

—Abdullah Rahnama, Gligor Djogo, University of Toronto, Canada

01 Apr 2019

LEDs under UV

The phosphor in a “white” LED lamp glows (fluorescence) under a UV light source. Taken with Nikon COOL PIX in black light.

—Robert Schalck, OSA Senior Member

25 Mar 2019

Interference with a white LED

Experimental interference fringes observed when a commercial LED is used as the illumination source of a Michelson Interferometer. The broad spectrum generates multicolor fringes that can be seen on a narrow difference length between the arms of the interferometer.

—Víctor M. Rico, CICESE, Mexico

18 Mar 2019

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