Huygens Optics on YouTube
Since 2019, I have regularly made YouTube videos on various technical subjects.
I do not consider myself an influencer in any way, I just make content that appeals to a specific group of individuals (fellow techno-nerds ;-).
During the last years, the number of subscribers has gone from a few hundred to 135K+.
This resulted in the fact that my videos (and science communication) have become a significant part of my online identity.
Currently Ive made around 64 videos (including shorts), mainly on subjects related to optics and light.
Below, you will find links to a few random examples of videos I've made so far.
Follow this link to go directly to the Huygens Optics YouYube page (clicking the link opens new tab).
You can also maximize the videos by clicking on the "full screen" icon in the bottom right of each video thumbnail.
Making OLED displays
In the beginning of the 1990s I worked on the early development of OLED and polymer-LED technology at Philips Research in Eindhoven. This video discusses the theory of operation of OLEDs and also shows how they can be made in practice, using a 3D printer for the photolithography and a home-built vacuum deposition system.
Monolithic telescope part 2: machining glass
This video is the second part of a series of 3 discussing the manufacture of a monolithic schmidt-cassegrain telescope. Part #1 is about the optical design and part #3 is about the optical figuring and testing. This part though is about the physical process of drilling, grinding and polishing the various optical surfaces. I think this video gives a good idea of the things I can do in my workshop and how I generally approach a project.
Imaging at ASML
In november 2023, I was invited to ASML to discuss the way that they work on the photolitographic imaging. This video contains an interview with Sander Blok (one of the researchers involved) and explains a few of the most important concepts behind the imaging process.
Gravitational Index of Refraction
In this recent video, I discuss the concept of the refractive index of space as an aspect of the gravitational potential caused by massive objects. This refractive index can be directly linked to a variation in the maximum speed of information, which is better known as the speed of light in vacuum.
How a Lens creates an Image
If you think you know how a lens works, maybe watch this video and think again. It discusses the relationship between maximum optical resolution and numerical aperture (NA) from the 'wave perspective'.
Photon Bunching
This is the second video on single photon detection and photomultipliers. In this video, I set out to measure an effect called 'Photon Bunching'. Photon bunching is phenomenon characteristic for incoherent light. The effect can for example be used to measure the angular diameter of stars and was discovered by Robert Hanbury Brown and Richard Quintin Twiss in 1954.
