Goal: Create a material with specific wave-manipulating properties.
Design repeating structures at the scale of the wavelength you want to manipulate. Use free CAD tools like Tinkercad for designing.
Goal: Create 3D holograms using simple optical setups.
Set up the laser, beam splitter, and photographic plates in a dark room. Align the system to ensure coherence in the holographic image.
Goal: Design a material that redirects or absorbs sound waves.
Design small resonant cavities or tube arrays to manipulate sound waves. Use audio analysis software like Audacity for testing.
Goal: Analyze the spectrum of light sources to study materials.
Disassemble a DVD to obtain the grating. Align it with the webcam and light source to capture the spectrum.
Goal: Focus sunlight using lenses or mirrors for high-intensity applications.
Mount the Fresnel lens securely and position it under sunlight to focus light on a specific target. Test with small heat-sensitive materials.
Goal: Build a simple quantum random number generator using photonics.
Direct the laser through the beam splitter and detect the probabilistic photon outcomes using a photodiode.
Goal: Build a simple backup water system with enough pressure to run water to faucets and toilets. You need: Two 55 galon tanks, cattle or horse water trough shut off valves, one-way shut off valves, enough PVC pipes, no pumps needed, no electricy needed, enough pressure achieved easily via siphon effect as long as tanks about 8 feet from faucets valves.