Physics Seminar: Physics of Human & Superhuman Vision

About

Speaker: Philip Nelson, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania.

Abstract: Scientists often seem to be asking obscure theoretical questions. But often, when we look carefully enough at experiences that go even just a bit beyond the everyday – for example, what we see at the Skyspace – we get surprises that lead to deeper understanding. Sometimes, asking “what is going on” and doggedly following the answers leads to unexpected practical payoffs. I'll explore how the question, "What is light?" leads us to deeper understanding of how we see, and also to some powerful new ways to see things. These advances have recently given us breathtaking results in biomedical imaging, including new ways to break through a resolution barrier that was considered inviolable for over a hundred years.