![]() ![]() ![]() "By designing the window to be relatively smooth, the image that is created can be seen over a large range of distances from the window."Ī traditional "magic mirror" optical illusion involves mirrors which display a new image under direct sunlight, thanks to patterning on the back side of the structure and subtle changes in the height of the surface, although the mathematical basis for the effect was only determined by Michael Berry at the University of Bristol in 2005.īerry later extended this knowledge to develop a theoretical basis for transparent magic windows in addition to reflective magic mirrors. "The magic window we created appears perfectly flat to the naked eye but, in fact, has slight variations that create an image in response to light," said team leader Felix Hufnagel. The ability to make both transparent and mirrored surfaces switch between their natural optical behavior and the display of some other form of image has been a fixture in fiction and a challenge in the real world for some time.īack in 2003 Philips developed a "magic mirror" TV screen, which integrated a liquid crystal (LC) display with a wall-mounted mirror, switching functions through a polarized coating that controlled light transmission.Ī project at the University of Ottawa has now used LCs to create a flat and polarization-switchable "magic window" - a transparent device that produces a hidden image when light shines on it, modernizing an old optical illusion.Īs reported in Optica, the principle behind the device could lead to new forms of 3D display, or be miniaturized to operate on sub-wavelength scales.
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