Naturally Focused Undulations 

Naturally focused undulations on the back of a glass disk are illuminated by an LED and focused onto the translucent front as a network of caustics, exhibiting the geometries predicted by singularity theory.     

—Sculpture by glass artist Alison Stott, following discussions with University of Bristol physicist Michael Berry; exhibited in the H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, UK

06 Feb 2026

Light Thread

A microscope image of an optical step-index fiber that has been processed with a CO2 laser. The laser focus rotates around the fiber and writes a track into the surface. The fiber feeding generates the helical structure. Light that is guided in the fiber cladding disrupts the total internal reflection to the surrounding medium. [OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]    

—Steffen Böhme, Fraunhofer IOF, Jena, Germany

30 Jan 2026

Dispersion in the Lab 

This photo was captured during an experiment in a first-year lab course. The white light beam passes through the transparent prism, and its different components (colors) travel at different speeds, causing the appearance of the spectrum. [OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]  

—Yaryna Mamchur, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

23 Jan 2026

Tea Glass Caustic

The curved surface of a glass of tea and the liquid within refract and focus sunlight into a bright, concentrated spot, which diffuses into an amber-tinted conical shape. The glass also acts as a prism, creating a miniature dispersion effect along the light pattern’s edges that results in a boomerang-like rainbow.[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]    

—Vahid Abbasian, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA

16 Jan 2026

Vascular Elegance

A two-photon microscopy fluorescence lifetime imaging representation of an artery cross-section, showcasing the rich structural details of the vascular wall. The distinct layers of the artery, including the tunica intima, media and externa, are vividly highlighted, with free-labeling techniques employed to capture fluorescence signals.[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]

—Ayman Adel Fouad Abdelhakeem, Boston University, MA, USA

09 Jan 2026

Sweet and Sour

Recrystallized from a solution in vodka, vitamin C and stevia accreted into a stunning mandala, with many light-refracting and -diffracting layers helping to bring out visual details. Image captured with a camera sensor attached to a trinocular microscope, along with a polarizing filter and a retarder (clear plastic food wrap).[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]  

— Ivan A. Amato, South Orange, NJ, USA

02 Jan 2026

Pancharatnam Sunset 

Transmission of diffuse light (from an RGB LED flashlight) through a cycloidal diffractive waveplate. The waveplate (provided by BEAM Co., Orlando, FL, USA) makes use of the Pancharatnam phase, where arbitrary variations may be imparted to polarized light.[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]    

—Image by Ph.D. student Xiulian Shan; edited by advisor Grover Swartzlander, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, USA

26 Dec 2025

Illuminated Hands

Hands illuminated with a white LED lamp appear semi-transparent. Lower frequencies of light pass through the tissues of the hand, while higher frequencies are blocked, generating the glowing red color of the skin.[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Honorable Mention]    

—Andrea Aiello, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen, Germany

19 Dec 2025

Bottle of Dust and Light

This photo presents a tangible manifestation of a 3D caustic surface. This effect was achieved by collimating light rays from lasers of two different colors and directing them onto an optical device that was fabricated using additive manufacturing, featuring an interface with an elliptical profile specifically designed for this purpose.[OPN 2025 Photo Contest Third Place]  

— Osvaldo Ponce-Hernández and Maximino Avendaño-Alejo, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

12 Dec 2025