- Joined
- Sep 20, 2013
- Messages
- 17,408
- Points
- 113
I also have a piece of Icelandic calcite and indeed it does not fluoresce, the birefringence is really interesting though! I always show my students when I teach my optics class, you can actually get a similar effect by laminating multiple pieces of glass with different refractive indices
I also have other samples of calcite that don't fluoresce and some that are green/yellowish, but the orange/red ones are the only ones that seem to trail behind the beam for a second.
There are many birefringent minerals. Quartz and Mica just off the top of my head are, and are used as wave plates. As for fluorescing; I have had many examples of Icelandic Calcite and not a one ever gave off a bit of fluorescing light. The ones that do are often opaque to translucent.
Last edited:
