This special issue of Physics World looks at the role of light in nature in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the publication of Isaac Newton's Opticks. In this landmark book, Newton revealed the mysteries of light, linking colour to the wavelength of light for the first time and including the theory of the origin of the rainbow that led the poet John Keats to accuse Newton of having destroyed the mystery of nature. Despite the protests, physicists - now as then - remain fascinated by the role of light in nature, as this month's special issue of Physics World reveals.
The physics of the Incredible Hulk film
When the animated eponymous hero in Incredible Hulk bends his arm, his muscles need to bulge in just the right place and his skin needs to stretch in a realistic fashion. The only way to create such true-to-life two-dimensional images of supposedly three-dimensional scenes is to trace the path of light using the laws of physics. Jrgen Singer - whose Berlin-based firm has produced visual effects for firms such as Matrix Reloaded and Terminator 3 -reveals how the visual-effects industry creates scenes that do not and may never exist. (p. 23).
Contact: Jrgen Singer, mental images, Berlin, Germany (tel. 49-30-315-9970; fax 49-30-315-99733; e-mail jurgen@mental.com)
Oscar winner focuses on lens design
Iain Neil is not a household name in the film industry, but the 47-year-old physicist is a surprising British success story. As chief technical officer at Californian company Panavision, has helped his firm to scoop 11 of the company's 26 Academy Awards, mostly for the design of zoom lenses. Physics World talks to Neil, who reveals plans to launch a course in lens design at his alma mater Strathclyde University. (p.
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Contact: David Reid
david.reid@iop.org
207-470-4815
Institute of Physics
4-Feb-2004