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Learn About Light

Light is everywhere. It allows to go about our daily activities and provides us with entertainment, security, technological advancements, and healthcare, amongst other things. Discover the different roles light and its applications play in our everyday lives.

Learn About Light

Lasers

Daily activities, from scanning items at a grocery store checkout to playing your favorite CD, require the very precise light lasers provide. This page will contain links to resources that will allow you to explore how laser light differs from regular light, browse a timeline of laser science milestones, and learn about the Nobel Prize winning contributions of the many scientists that made the laser possible. read on Lasers

Lightsources of the world

Light is a key ingredient for large scientific research facilities known as synchrotrons and Free Electron Lasers (FELs). At the heart of one of these giant machines is a particle accelerator which is used to create an incredibly bright light. This light is so intense it can reveal the atomic and molecular detail of the world around us, and is used by scientists the world over for fundamental and applied research into almost every scientific research field imaginable. There are now more than 60 synchrotrons and FELs around the world dedicated to applications in physics, engineering, pharmacology, and new materials, to name but a few. You can browse these pages for information and links to resources that will allow you to explore the remarkable properties of these magnificent machines. read on Lightsources of the world

Light in Nature

From sunsets to rainbows, from the blues and greens of the ocean to the remarkable range of colors of plants and animals, our first experiences of light and color are through what we see in the natural world. This page will contain resources and links to images so that you can see for yourself the wonderful range of light and color in the natural world and understand the science behind it. read on Light in Nature

Art and Culture

Paintings and murals in all cultures of the world show how artists have used light and shade and color to illustrate mood and create atmosphere. Modern technological possibilities allow artists to use light in new ways in entertainment and performance, and large scale lighting installations can dramatically highlight the beauty of architecture. This page will provide resources to allow you to see the many different ways in which light impacts on art and culture, and it will also describe how the scientific uses of light provide new insights into the study of our past. read on Art and Culture

Light in Life

Through photosynthesis, light is at the origin of all life. Photonic technologies provide new tools for doctors and surgeons, new developments in optometry and vision science improve quality of life, and light-based technologies are used every day in medical diagnostics in ways that we are often unaware of. This page will contain links to resources that will allow you to understand how light science and light technologies impact on medicine, vision and life sciences in general. read on Light in Life

Optics Bookshelf

These pages contain links to a range of publications on light and light-based technologies published by our partners, sponsors and collaborators. They include academic journals, textbooks, books for the general reader and magazines. read on Optics Bookshelf

Copyright © IYL2015

This website was developed by Lightsources.org, a collaboration between communicators from light source facilities around the world.

IYL2015 is a global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health.