Photonic Homes and Gardens

Daniel C. McCarthy

The remodeling plans for the kitchen of Stephen Jacobs did not include this fan-shaped spectral decor. Jacobs, a retired professor from the University of Arizona's Optical Sciences Center, attributes the serendipitous design to the sunlight projected through a window prism reflecting off the microscopic flat-surfaced facets that comprise the rounded edge of the polished granite countertop.

"The curved regions that connect the flat planes comprise relatively little area and reflect back over such a wide angle that we see only darkness between the colors," Jacobs said.