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Yogi-Like Scientists Bend Light Beams Into Pretzel-Shaped Knots

by Amar Toor on January 19, 2010 at 04:50 PM

For most of us, getting "twisted" isn't all that complicated. But for a group of scientists, who play with beams of light and not bottles of Henny, an otherwise simple, two-step process can get very complex, indeed.

As LiveScience reports, physicists at the University of Bristol in England have found a way to turn beams of light into pretzel-shaped knots, an achievement that's apparently important for reasons other than being cool. While many of us may conceive of light beams traveling in a straight line (like out of a laser pointer or a light saber), light actually flows in various forms and can even swirl around like frozen yogurt, creating what are known as 'optical vortices.' The researchers, led by University of Bristol's Mark Dennis, used a branch of abstract mathematics known as fibered knot theory to create customized holograms that would produce particular optical vortices. They were then able to calibrate the hologram so that any light reflected off of it would travel in "dark knots," which they photographed by running a camera over the laser field.

Until now, knot theorists had always relied on abstract equations to represent dark knots, so this constitutes a bit of a major breakthrough. As Dennis expounded to Live Science, "It also shows how finely we can control the flow and propagation of laser light using holograms. This degree of control is likely to find applications in future laser devices." We'll take their word for it; all we know is that all this talk of laser pretzels is making us thirsty. [From: LiveScience]

Tags: fibered knot theory, FiberedKnotTheory, laser, light, optical vortices, OpticalVortices, optics, pretzel, research, science, top

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