Colored Shadows: Wave Interference is a Good Thing

[fretless]

Re: Colored Shadows: Wave Interference is a Good T

Oh no, thank you Warske.

If anyone is interested, I found a place that sells pink twisted fluorescent bulbs here:
http://www.blinkerboys.com/Products/Bulbs/CompactFluorescent.asp

 

[GooeyGus]

Re: Colored Shadows: Wave Interference is a Good T

I replicated this same exact effect in my room with RGB lasers... very cool!!

 

[691175002]

Re: Colored Shadows: Wave Interference is a Good T

My question is this; would it be possible for me to get shadows in wavelengths of light outside of the visible spectrum simply by positioning the lights and object creating the shadows in the correct way?

I have no idea what you think is going on, but there is nothing beyond the normal "light casts shadows" effect. You are not seeing any form of interference, frequency changes or new wavelengths popping out of nowhere.

Light sources in different positions cast different shadows. Some of them overlap slightly and mix to create other colors.

 

[Mptp]

Re: Colored Shadows: Wave Interference is a Good T

I have no idea what you think is going on, but there is nothing beyond the normal "light casts shadows" effect. You are not seeing any form of interference, frequency changes or new wavelengths popping out of nowhere.

Light sources in different positions cast different shadows. Some of them overlap slightly and mix to create other colors.

Seconded.
Simplified, if you had two lights, one red and one blue, you'll get three colors of shadow - red, blue, and black.
That's because the red light is being cut out in one section, but the blue light isn't (hence the blue shadow), the opposite is happening in another section (hence the red shadow), and there'll be a section in the middle where both lights are being cut-out, and you'll get a good-old-fashioned black shadow.
It's not that you're getting strange wave interference because of wave diffraction or anything...just that you're cutting out some of the light, some of the time.

-Mop