Michael Berry
H H Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Date
9 November 2016
Host
Renato Renner
Title
Nature’s Optics and our Understanding of Light
Abstract
Optical phenomena visible to everyone abundantly illustrate important ideas in science and mathematics. The phenomena considered include rainbows, sparkling reflections on water, mirages, green flashes, earthlight on the moon, glories, daylight, crystals, and the squint moon. The concepts include refraction, wave interference, numerical experiments, asymptotics, Regge poles, polarization singularities, conical intersections, and visual illusions.