Aaron Slepkov and Painting in Polarization

 

Aaron Slepkov is a physicist currently researching painting in polarization. Slepkov is currently a professor of physics and astronomy at Trent University in Canada and leads a lab in Biophotonics. He first received a degree in both Physics and Chemistry from Brock University, then earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Alberta. 

Slepkov’s research connects physics and art. The art piece shown above was created by Slepkov during his research with polarizing art. He uses a process called polarization filtering in which he shines linearly polarized white light through glass to produce an array of different colors. The process of using polarized light to allow for more color has been around since the 1800s; Slepkov’s research attempts to explain why this phenomenon occurs. He explains that there is a rise in the colors seen when birefringent (having two refraction indexes) when treated with linearly polarized white light. 

https://www.trentu.ca/governance/board-governors/membership/aslepkov

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.1.20220826a/full/

https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/5.0087800

http://www.aaronslepkov.com/index.shtml