Is it possible to creat darkness by cancelling lightwaves?

Discussion in 'General Science & Technology' started by plakhapate, Jun 25, 2008.

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  1. plakhapate

    plakhapate Banned Banned

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    Suppose we use flat mirror for reflecting the light waves exactly in opposite direction. Then will that reflected beam can cancel the incoming light beam.

    P.J.LAKHAPATE
    plakhapate@rediffmail.com
     
    plakhapate, Jun 25, 2008
    #1

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  3. Steve100

    Steve100 O͓͍̯̬̯̙͈̟̥̳̩͒̆̿ͬ̑̀̓̿͋ͬ ̙̳ͅ ̫̪̳͔O Valued Senior Member

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    Steve100, Jun 25, 2008
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  5. EntropyAlwaysWins

    EntropyAlwaysWins TANSTAAFL. Registered Senior Member

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    Just nitpicking here;
    Darkness is not the opposite of light, it's the absence of light, so technically you can't create darkness.
     
    EntropyAlwaysWins, Jun 25, 2008
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  7. Read-Only

    Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Absolutely not, in the case of ordinary sunlight, which is a mixture of different wavelengths of light. Because in order to do so, you would have to place the mirror at precisely the half-wave point of the incoming beam.

    Theoretically, you could do it with a laser beam which consists of only a single frequency, but there are two technical difficulties there. Since we're talking about micro-micrometer precision in placement, the entire apparatus would have to be placed in an environment in which the temperature could NOT vary one bit. Because if it does, the placement will be disturbed and the experiment will totally fail.

    The second one is just as bad. Since the incoming bean cannot be canceled by the reflected beam until AFTER it has been reflected, the results would probably look like "bursts" of light and dark. They would occur much, much faster than you could possibly see the infinitesimal periods of darkness.
     
    Read-Only, Jun 25, 2008
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  8. Zero121

    Zero121 Registered Member

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    what about just cancelling the visible light (i.e. turning off the source) (if u would count that as "cancelling" light)
     
    Zero121, Jul 6, 2008
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  9. Read-Only

    Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    I don't think he'd accept that as an answer.

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    Read-Only, Jul 7, 2008
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  10. Blue_UK

    Blue_UK Drifting Mind Valued Senior Member

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    Where does the 'cancelled' energy go?
     
    Blue_UK, Jul 11, 2008
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  11. thecollage

    thecollage Registered Senior Member

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    Yes.
     
    thecollage, Jul 11, 2008
    #8
  12. James R

    James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    It must be redistributed to a different point in space.

    For example, if you have two-slit interference, the bright fringes are four times the intensity you would get with two single sources not interfering. To compensate, the dark fringes have zero intensity.

    Similarly, if you take two laser beams and combine them using a beam splitter, you can arrange things so that you get no light out of one port of the beam splitter. But, out of the other open port you'll get brighter light.
     
    James R, Jul 11, 2008
    #9
  13. Tristan

    Tristan Leave your World Behind Valued Senior Member

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    This actually isn't theoretical. The Large Binocular Telescope is designed to use these principles.


    From http://lbti.as.arizona.edu/

    Tristan
     
    Tristan, Jul 11, 2008
    #10
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