LMI Seminar: Mirages and mirrors

Prof. Sir Michael Berry, H H Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol UK

18 May 2020, 13:00 
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91104099148 
LMI Seminar

Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91104099148

 

Abstract:

This concerns two different optical illusions. In his paper with S Pancharatnam on mirages, C V Raman misunderstood the relevant geometrical optics, with an error – the paradox of the horizontal ray – that goes back several centuries. I will explain Raman’s subtle mistake, and how the part of the paper that is correct is probably Pancharatnam’s contribution. Oriental magic mirrors cast ghostly reflections revealing the relief pattern on their back, even though this is invisible on the polished front face. The explanation of this 2000 year old puzzle involves an elementary but little-explored aspect of geometrical optics, with the Laplacian function as a central feature.

 

 

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