Natural Science Forum / Physics / Optics / April 2005

I am looking for a transparent polymer, to be used as substrate for
polarizing film. From the point of view of non-optical properties, I
would choose Mylar, but Mylar is birefringent, so it cannot be used as
substrate for polarizer. Can anyone suggest a non birefringent

I am looking for a transparent polymer, to be used as substrate for
polarizing film. From the point of view of non-optical properties, I
would choose Mylar, but Mylar is bifringent, so it cannot be used as
substrate for polarizer. Can anyone suggest a non bifringent

Does anyone know if AR coatings can be designed or preferably already
exist for, say, a 532 nm souce allowing high transmission for normal
rays on up to say a fairly large angle say +/- 10-15 degrees and low
transmission for angles greater than that, say, up to +/- 30. I guess

Let's get down and dirty here. I literally have licenses for both,
having inherited them with different projects. For historical reasons
I am a "power user" of Zemax, and quite frankly I have never had any
problems with it. But I could become a power user of OSLO in short

Nothing shady, just trying to take advantage:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14954&item=5764952508
This is just the Roithner EU38 which sells for about $16 direct.
--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/ 

I'm trying to find some really basic material on the next issues:
1) encoscopes made of optical fibers: how light is transmitted into
the internal parts of the body and how the images are collected
2) a brief overview of optical fibers used in illumination and other

Anyone got a used pangolin LD2000 intro that they are looking to sell
or know where I can get a new one a little cheaper than $2000?
Thanks
Jason

Sorry if this is trivial or dumb.  I have been seeing these laser
keychains with interchangeable tips, creating small characters or logos
in place of the simple red dot.
Where can someone get a custom job done, to get a laser pointer that

I was looking at the LED Museum web site and read about the UV LEDs.
Craig, the guy that runs and owns the site, stated that the equipment
he had could not measure the power output of the UV devices because
the wavelength was too short. Would it be easy (and cheap) to find a

    It seems that manually pointing a laser at a plane is going out of
fashion with this new high-tech device...
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/tracker.shtml

I would like to build a kaleidoscope using total internal reflection
instead of assembling first surface mirrors. I am looking for prisms,
plastic or glass, that would be appropriate. Say about 12 inches long
with 1 inch faces and all 5 sides transparent.

I am using a combination of different  step index and graded multimode
fibers for my research project.
When I measure losses through the splices using transmission I get
much lower readings than the ones obtained using OTDR (on graded to

Dear assembled multitude:
Well, according to my calendar, today is Lena Sjooblom's birthday. (You
remember, the Playboy centerfold that is one of the canonical image
processing test pictures--just her head, wearing a hat with a feather.)

I want to be able to view strongyloidiasis or Ascariasis and/or
Enterobiasis (worms) in stool samples at home with a WETZLAR MICROSCOPE
3.5x 44x 10x.  Can anyone recommend a web site or any helpful advice?