There is always something interesting to find when browsing the projects on Hackaday.io. I’m always amazed at how much hackers can get done in their basements and home labs. One surprising trend I’ve ...

An optical spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the light spectrum. These devices have found a wide range of practical applications. Dispersive ...

Today, astronomers seek to observe the faintest and most distant objects possible. Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), with apertures in the order of several dozen meters, are the next generation ...

Diffraction gratings are curious things. Score a series of equally spaced tiny lines in a surface, and it will cause reflected or transmitted light to bend and separate into its component wavelengths.

Lighting and display manufacturers must ensure their products are consistent in their light output, making them reliant on effective quality control methods. Their products must be validated, and ...

Diffraction gratings separate different wavelengths of light using a periodic pattern embedded in the grating. The diffraction pattern can affect the amplitude and/or phase of the incident light as ...

This page contains hints, solutions, and advanced challenges for our diffraction grating challenge. If you would like a grating (or a set for your class if you are a teacher), please contact us at ...

Visual demonstration of the performance of the diffraction grating. The zeroth order transmission refers to light that goes straight through the grating without undergoing diffraction (which should be ...