Warp wrote:
>   I noticed this interesting phenomenon in real life, so I had to replicate
> it with POV-Ray. It simulated the effect beautifully.
> 
>   There are two identical glasses in the image, both of which have a paper
> label around them. The glass on the left is empty, and the glass on the
> right is partially filled with water. Even though the water is very
> transparent, it nevertheless completely blocks the paper label from view.
> 
>   This is caused by total internal reflection. And it happens in the same
> way in real life.
> 
> 

Very cool.  In microscopy we use TIRF to illuminate an extremely thin 
layer of a sample; in a bizarre twist of physics, the reflection 
actually "extends" past the top of reflecting surface - in the case of 
microscopy, the coverglass over your sample.  This extension (called an 
evanescent wave) is very thin - about 100um - which we use to 
specifically illuminate the part of our sample in contact with the 
coverslip.

I wonder if povray's physics are good enough to model that...

Bryan

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