Optical effects

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.

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

• Fun with spins

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• 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

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• Mechanically stable electronically excited states

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• 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)

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• Color emulation – this page also treats structural color
• Optical particle accelerators
• teraherz gap
• non mechanical technology path

External links

• Photoexcitation
• Category:Photochemistry

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• Ultraviolet
• Visible spectrum
• Infrared#Regions_within_the_infrared
• Far infrared