The International Year of Light (IYL) is a brilliant initiative, but if you’re wondering how to find out more about the science and applications of light, then you’ve come to the perfect place. That’s because this free-to-read digital-only edition of Physics World magazine brings together I have to admit that it wasn’t easy for us to select 10 articles from all that Physics World has published on light over the years, but I think this collection really has something for everyone. So sit back and enjoy the issue.

A global vision for vision

  

How simple adjustable glasses are transforming people's vision

From ray-gun to Blu-ray

 

Lasers in science, culture and everyday life

Natural photonics

 

How photonics is benefiting from butterflies and beetles

Defeating diffraction

 

The quest for perfect images

The Scholar and the Caliph

 

Ibn-al Haytham: a scholar's tale retold

Light emission moves into the blue

 

Blue light-emitting diodes: a Nobel laureate's take

Hubble’s greatest hits

 

The best images from the Hubble Space Telescope

The subtlety of rainbows

 

The science behind atmospheric optical phenomena

Holography gets smart

 

New tricks for holograms

Deflecting the light and deceiving the gods

 

Turning invisibility into reality

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