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What is Dispersion (concept)?

Generally, dispersion is an effect that happens because the velocity of waves in a material depends on wavelength. This manifests in many different phenomenon, but only one is encountered on a regular basis: the index of refraction is dependent on wavelength. This...

What is a Spectrograph?

A spectrograph is a device that separates a signal into its component wavelengths. The easiest way to picture this is thinking about a prism splitting white light into colors. In fact, a prism is a type of spectrograph. Specifically, prisms work through dispersion....

What are Fiber Optics?

Fiber optics is a subset of optics that deals with how light behaves in fibers. Fibers are cables that are made of materials like glass or plastic and clad in something with a lower index of refraction than the core. Choosing the appropriate materials for the core and...

What is Refraction?

Refraction is when a light beam changes direction after entering a new medium. This is why objects in the water are seen at a different place from where they actually are; the light has been “bent” when exiting the water. The image below shows light being refracted...