An illustration shows the design of Rice University researchers’ antenna-on-a-chip for spatial light modulation. The chip is able to process incident infrared light for signal processing at very high speeds.

Credit: Xu Group/Rice University

Source: Antenna-on-a-chip rips the light fantastic (Rice University News & Media)

The photo above showing meltwater on ice, imaged using a circular polarizer lens, was taken on a pond near Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia. The refractive index of ice crystals depends upon the polarization and propagation direction of a beam of light. This property is known as birefringence (sometimes called double refraction). The colored light seen when looking through the sides of an airplane window is an example of birefringence. When a beam of light propagates through ice crystals, two distinct rays result, depending upon the direction of propagation. A polarizer filter or lens acts to recombine the rays. However, due to the fact that these rays were out of phase when recombined, the new polarized rays are composed of various wavelengths of visible light, which as shown here result in especially vibrant colors. Note that colors in pond ice may also be due to interference in narrow fissures and from refraction by trapped air bubbles. Photo taken on November 15, 2012.

Photographer: Daniela Rapava 
Summary Authors: Daniela Rapava; Jim Foster

Source: Colors in Pond Ice Using a Polarizer Lens (Earth Science Picture of the Day)

A blunt warning, a little savage, from the Laser Safety page at The Department of Environmental Health and Safety of Northern Illinois University.

Colorized image of the fresh Carbonyl Iron sample.

Source: Characterizing Metal Oxide Coated Carbonyl Iron Particles using Microscopic Techniques, The Institute of Optics (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at The University of Rochester).

Seeing through Water: Image Restoration using Model-based Tracking (from The ILIM laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University)

An artist’s rendering of the proposed Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

Source: Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Approved to Advance to Final Design Stage, SLAC Today (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)