Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2024 January 25

= January 25 =

Using acoustic extinguishing equipment to change the wavelengths of visible light
Greetings!

I've been reading some web articles concerning acoustic extinguishers, viz., devices that put out small fires by changing the sound waves surrounding them. These devices do not blow air like a fan, but merely emit a very loud sound imperceptible to humans.

I cannot help but wonder, though: Can such a device be jury-rigged to alter the properties of visible light?

Picture a cubic box, 30cm × 30cm × 30cm, closed on 5 sides but open on the 6th. Could an acoustic device be made so that the open side become blurry, pixelated, or opaque—so as to make impossible to see inside the box?

EDIT: reworded the question.

Thank you! Pine (talk) 06:41, 25 January 2024 (UTC)
 * See Acousto-optics and linked articles. Perhaps not blurred but may add a spectral affect. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 07:04, 25 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the reference.
 * I'll definitely look into it!
 * Pine (talk) 16:28, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Pine (talk) 16:28, 5 February 2024 (UTC)