From Aristotle to Einstein, human beings have long been enchanted in revealing the secret of light-matter interaction. Though analytically solving the equations regarding arbitrary optical problems is almost impossible, recent progress in computational electromagnetics provides powerful tools to numerically solve them with a considerably high precision. Here are 8 images generated from my computational electromagnetic simulation script (Finite Element Method), which delineate the scattering field profile of light being shined upon different dielectric rods. This data is essential because my research focuses on the scattering light field in a photonic resonator enhanced microscope, aimed at the detection of cancer-biomarkers. It’s completely a coincidence that these images happen to be some lovely, pixelated icons that can possibly be used for profile photos or inspire the design of animation characters. Besides their aesthetic value, for a meaningful scientific design, we need the scattering field to 1) be as uniform as possible, 2) be strong to elevate the signal-to-noise ratio, 3) radiate towards a certain direction to improve the collection efficiency of scattered photons. So, which profile do you think is the best?
