Israeli scientists have accomplished a theorized but never-before-seen phenomenon known as a “branching flow,” where light appears to branch like a tree or the currents of a river delta.
“No one predicted that this would happen” says Mordechai Segev at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, one of the team members behind the investigation. “It was a complete surprise in the lab.”
The light flux changes as it passes through different media, in the same way that refraction occurs when you submerge an object in water.
By passing laser light through a soap bubble, Israeli physicists have replicated a previously observed effect only on the flow of electrons, ocean waves, and sound, in an experiment that has implications for the study of relativity.
“Imagine that you can control the flow of a fluid by controlling the light that passes through it.” Says Segev.
To create the branching flow effect with light, the structure of the medium, in this case the soap bubble, must be somewhat random in nature, and the physical and spatial variations within the structure must be greater than the wavelength of the light. flow in itself. For best results, variations should also be smooth, making soap bubbles the perfect candidate.
Soap bubbles consist of a thin layer of liquid between two layers of molecules, combining the perfect degree of variability with just the right amount of smoothness to create the hypnotic effect.
Micro-disturbances on the bubble’s surface scatter the light flux, dividing it into currents like a river delta, which then further divides, and so on.
However, in addition to the complex setup required to achieve this modern magic, laser light must shine precisely between the two layers. To ensure this level of precision, the researchers inserted a fiber optic cable into the soap bubble membrane.
The team tested the soap bubble laser technique on stable and mobile membranes by restricting air flow around the bubbles, allowing them to witness the full beauty of white light that breaks down into multiple thicknesses and colors in their artificial “Delta of light”.
The researchers will now explore the possibility of creating a three-dimensional branch flow, a goal that has been hypothesized but has not yet been achieved.
Also on rt.com
Star tests Einstein’s theory as he orbits a supermassive black hole in a striking ‘SPIROGRAPH’ pattern (VIDEO)
Do you think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
