Image Credit:Felix Hufnagel, University of Ottawa The video shows the intensity distribution smoothly evolving from the input beam profile to the desired image pattern. This work inspired Hufnagel and colleagues to create a magic window based on liquid crystals.Ĭaption: The magic windows the researchers created appear perfectly flat to the naked eye but, in fact, have slight variations that create an image in response to light. He later extended this knowledge to develop a theoretical basis for transparent magic windows in addition to reflective magic mirrors. “The ability to obtain a long depth of focus could also make the approach useful for 3D displays that produce stable 3D images even when viewed from different distances.”Īlthough scientists have understood for decades that the ancient bronze magic mirrors formed images as a result of small surface variations, it was not until 2005 that Michael Berry, a mathematical physicist at the University of Bristol in the UK, derived the mathematical basis for this effect. “Using liquid crystals to make magic windows or mirrors could one day make it possible to create a reconfigurable version for producing dynamic artistic magic windows or movies,” said Hufnagel. The process can also be used to create magic mirrors that reflect, rather than transmit, light to create an image. In Optica, Optica Publishing Group’s journal for high-impact research, Hufnagel and colleagues describe the process they developed for creating transparent liquid crystal magic windows that can produce any desired image. “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.” “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 research team leader Felix Hufnagel from the University of Ottawa. Image Credit: Felix Hufnagel, University of Ottawa Caption: Researchers have used liquid crystals to create magic windows that produce a hidden image when light shines on it.
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