Vignettes of caustic and catastrophes

Summary:

Caustics are focused concentrations of bent light, like the heart at the bottom of your coffee mug on a sunny day. The distinctive shapes of a caustic appear from more than just light. They lurk behind rainbows, the folds of cloth, and even the universe-scale structure of galaxies. These are all explained by a unifying geometric theory. I will share the geometry of caustics with a series of vignettes. First, we see how light folds inside a rainbow. Next, we tour the menagerie of caustics: cusps, swallowtails, butterflies, and more. Finally, we witness the rise and fall of catastrophe theory, a now-passe field that promotes caustics to a fundamental role across science.

Presented at:

• Student symplectic seminar

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