Live data from Hacker News

NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

nist.gov

31–40 of 201 posts

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#31
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuine q: how close can you get to magenta with the rainbow?

What we call "magenta" is the sensation of both red and blue color-sensitive cells in the eye being excited at the same time. There's no single wavelength that produces this effect (unlike e.g. yellow). The closes you can get is violet, which looks faint to the eye. A rainbow gives you both red and blue; mute everything else, and you'll get magenta. That's what magenta pigments do when illuminated by white light (whi…

Saying a wavelength doesn’t do it doesn’t make any sense. If you can perceive it visually, a wavelength is doing it.

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#32

Yes but can it do any color a mantis shrimp would like? https://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp most likely sees very much like us (or birds, snakes), it's just that its brain is too small to integrate signals from just three types of cones, so it evolved a whole rainbow of cones.

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#33
post #32

Yes but can it do any color a mantis shrimp would like? https://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp most likely sees very much like us (or birds, snakes), it's just that its brain is too small to integrate signals from just three types of cones, so it evolved a whole rainbow of cones.

Huh. Anywhere you'd suggest I can read more about this?

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#35
post #28
post #24

Everyone talking about magenta and brown, but you can see an illusory color right now even without lasers! https://dynomight.net/colors/ behold, some kind of hyper-turquoise

For those not seeing it or only seeing a little, stare at it for a while then shake your head (or your phone) just a bit.

Also there are other variants and tricks around this for other colors as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_color

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#36

can they do microwave? if you do the exact right color you can make certain things melt very precisely.

An application that came to mind is tunneling (through rock and earth). You could absolutely tune the wavelength to whatever material your drilling through absorbs best, to help ease and speed. Would need a good amount of energy but I could see that utilized in some fashion in the next 10-20 years

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#37
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What we call "magenta" is the sensation of both red and blue color-sensitive cells in the eye being excited at the same time. There's no single wavelength that produces this effect (unlike e.g. yellow). The closes you can get is violet, which looks faint to the eye. A rainbow gives you both red and blue; mute everything else, and you'll get magenta. That's what magenta pigments do when illuminated by white light (whi…

Saying a wavelength doesn’t do it doesn’t make any sense. If you can perceive it visually, a wavelength is doing it.

[dead]

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#38
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What we call "magenta" is the sensation of both red and blue color-sensitive cells in the eye being excited at the same time. There's no single wavelength that produces this effect (unlike e.g. yellow). The closes you can get is violet, which looks faint to the eye. A rainbow gives you both red and blue; mute everything else, and you'll get magenta. That's what magenta pigments do when illuminated by white light (whi…

Saying a wavelength doesn’t do it doesn’t make any sense. If you can perceive it visually, a wavelength is doing it.

Two wavelengths do it; one does not suffice. It's like a perfect fifth can not one note.

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#39
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying a wavelength doesn’t do it doesn’t make any sense. If you can perceive it visually, a wavelength is doing it.

Two wavelengths do it; one does not suffice. It's like a perfect fifth can not one note.

The interference is a wavelength too. Maybe not pure but it is one. Afaik they cannot be interpreted as two separate wavelengths and then “brain combined” when the aperture (the retina) is so small.

Re: NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

#40
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two wavelengths do it; one does not suffice. It's like a perfect fifth can not one note.

The interference is a wavelength too. Maybe not pure but it is one. Afaik they cannot be interpreted as two separate wavelengths and then “brain combined” when the aperture (the retina) is so small.

[dead]
Post reply on HN