Microstructured Fibers
1st Place: Micrographs of microstructured polymer optical fibers with a hexagonal array of high-index rings. The resulting photonic bandgaps and the various sizes of the rings give rise to the different colors. Alexander Argyros, The University of Sydney, Australia
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01 Jan 2010
White Light Diffraction
2nd Place: White light diffraction produced by a single-domain monolayer made of 1-�m polysterene spheres in HCP packing that is, a 2-D photonic crystal, pictured in the dark. Victor Canalejas Tejero, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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01 Jan 2010
Tilted Wave Interferometer Pattern
3rd Place (tie): Fringe pattern produced by the tilted wave interferometer when measuring an aspheric surface (full aperture). Eugenio Garbusi, Institut f�r Technische Optik, Stuttgart, Germany
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01 Jan 2010
Sunset In The Lab
Honorable Mention: Sunset in the Lab: The Tyndall-Rayleigh experiment. White light from a slide projector shines a tank of water to which photographic fixing powder and dilute sulfuric acid are added. Juan Carlos Barreiro optics department, University of Valencia, Spain
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01 Jan 2010
Microsphere Resonant Cavity
Honorable Mention: A 633-nm laser coupled into a microsphere resonant cavity. Due to surface defects on the cavity, the light is scattering out of the cavity. Andrea M. Armani and Maria Chistiakova University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.
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01 Jan 2010
Dielectric Breakdown
Honorable Mention: Dielectric breakdown within a nonlinear optical polymer.David A. Sweigart, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Md.
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01 Jan 2010
Desert Rainbow
Rainbow in southwest desert; colors are intense.Gail M. Overton, Editor, PennWell, Winterhaven, Calif.
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01 Jan 2010
Rainbow In Darkness
Same rainbow as darkness falls.Gail M. Overton, Editor, PennWell, Winterhaven, Calif.
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01 Jan 2010
Rainbow And Mountains
Same rainbow appears as if illumination is coming from behind mountains.Gail M. Overton, Editor, PennWell, Winterhaven, Calif.
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01 Jan 2010