Optical effects
Contents
The mechanical to optical and back conversion challenge
Difference in size-scales
Even rather short optical wavelengths (300nm – near UV) are huge compared to carbon atoms ~0.2nm.
That would make an optical diamond fiber with a radius (or side length if square) of ~1500 carbon atoms.
Assembling such bigger structures would be straightforward with convergent assembly though.
Size scale of optical fibers for visible and far beyond is somewhere between
- crystolecular elements ~64nm
- Microcomponents ~2µm
- Mesocomponents ~64µm
Difference in time-scales
Moving charges mechanically back and forth or in circles only suffices for generating and receiving radio frequencies.
See: mechanoradio and radiomechanical conversion.
This to have a bridge between the mechanical world of gemstone metamaterial technology and the optical world
other conversionmechanisms are needed.
- (1) optomechanical conversion where a fast optical electronic excitation eventually causes a slow mechanical conformation change
- (2) mechanooptical conversion where a machanical manipulation excites an electronic state that eventually emits a photon.
(1) is well known today (2) is pretty exotic.
Wild "photonic steampunk" implementation idea (light generation)
One idea would be to have a dead end of an optical fiber and pass by with an attachment chain (over some stretch) electronically excited material in such a way that the dradgging by catalyses a radiation emitting electronic de-excitation. (could probably be combined with laser like stimulated emission). At an other location along the attachment chain the material is electronically re-excited. Electronically re-excited either by mechanical means, electronic means or in any other suitable way.
Note that this approach with a chain only makes sense if in-place-re-excitation is a bottleneck.
(Kinda hope so, transporting metastable electronic excitations on an nanoscale attachment chain sounds kinda cool.)
Long enough phosphorescent decay time needed:
The phosphorescent transition will need to have a long enough decay time to be mechanically transportable from excitation-site to (catalyzed) de-excitation-site.
Maybe with advanced atomically precise manufacturing capabilities (and fine tunable unusaually large intermolecular forces) a lot bigger range of
phosphorescent systems will be acessible/developable. (TODO: Investigate design of phosphorescent centers assuming advanced gem-gum technology is available.)
No photo-bleaching:
Having the photoactive molecules in machine phase may make it possible to avoid "photobleaching" (photoactive molecules taking damage) entirely.
Direct electromagnetic wave to mechanical conversions (light reception)
This may be:
- to receive data
- to recuperate power (likely more challenging)
Photoinduced conformational changes are likely typically fast and weak.
This seems to call for:
- a photonically induced buildup of tension with many very fast very small increments
- a collective mechanical release of big accumulated tension in a single slow step
(TODO: Investigate almost direct optical to mechanical energy conversion in more detail)
Related
- Energy conversion – the conversions that have optical on one side
- mechanooptical conversion – this is very new – exciting elecronic stated by force applying mechanic manipulation on bound molecules
- optomechanical conversion – basically photochemistry – causing a conformational change through electronic structure change through optical
- Tailored absorption spectra (aka taylored color), fluorescence, and phosphorescence in:
Polyaromatic pigments, F-centers in gemstones, ... - photochromic effects – (like in self-darkening sunglasses)
- thermochromic effects – (like in color changeing paints)
- Color emulation – this page also treats structural color
- Optical particle accelerators
- teraherz gap
- non mechanical technology path
