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The author of Skulls in the Stars is an associate professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
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Category Archives: Optics
What’s the difference between “transparency” and “invisibility”?
In writing my previous post on The Murderer Invisible, I started thinking again about the relationship between something being “transparent” and something being truly “invisible”. Most of us can appreciate that, under the right circumstances, a transparent object like a … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics
8 Comments
Optics basics: refraction
In all of my discussions of basic principles of optics, I’ve so far neglected to talk about one of the most fundamental and important: refraction! In short, refraction is the bending of a ray of light when it passes from … Continue reading
Posted in Optics basics
4 Comments
How well can the government spy on us via satellite?
About a week ago, NASA announced some really good and unusual news. The National Reconnaissance Office, in operation of the United States’ spy satellites, had some extra unused “hardware” to donate to the space agency: two Hubble-quality space telescopes, initially … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
17 Comments
The secret molecular life of soap bubbles (1913)
Nature can be extremely devious in the way it hides its secrets. Sometimes the most remarkable and profound insights are staring us right in the face every day in the most mundane phenomena. For instance, we have all seen the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
8 Comments
Coherence, plasmons, and me!
I don’t often talk about my own research on this blog… heck, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my own research here, come to think of it! I thought it would be a nice change of pace to describe … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
10 Comments
“Arago’s inadvertent test of relativity” in Optics & Photonics News!
This is just a short post to announce that my third popular science article written for a magazine appeared online today! ”Arago’s inadvertent test of relativity” has appeared in the May issue of Optics & Photonics News, the news magazine … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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Augustin-Jean Fresnel’s early years
I posted this on Google+ earlier, but it seemed worthwhile to expand it into a blog post. Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827) is, in my opinion, one of the underappreciated giants in optical physics. Though Thomas Young’s double slit experiment was the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
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So, what is a “temporal cloak”, anyway?
I’ve been saying for a few years that optical science has entered a truly remarkable new era: instead of asking the question, “What are the physical limitations on what light can do?”, we are now asking, “How can we make … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics
6 Comments
A camera fast enough to watch light move?
A few weeks ago, a new optical imaging system grabbed headlines throughout the world. This system, labeled a “picosecond camera”, can seemingly record images so fast that it can actually track the motion of light itself! Consider the following video … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
5 Comments
Getting more with less in imaging: compressive sensing
Update: I felt my original explanations were a little lacking in places, so I’ve added to the post… In recent years, the public has seen remarkable advances in digital imaging technology. In the past few months, for instance, Lytro has … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Optics
27 Comments
