Bubbly InterferenceEthan KimAward: Top 100
School: wayne hills high school This image, taken with an iPhone 15, shows the effect of thin film interference at the surface of soap bubbles. This phenomenon occurs when white light is incident on the surface of a thin layer of transparent material, in this case, soap. The light is coming from a white LED above the bubbles; some of this light reflects off the outer surface, while some light passes through and reflects off the inner surface. If the path length difference is the correct multiple of a particular wavelength, the two waves will be in phase at the surface, causing constructive interference, or a bright color. Depending on the thickness of the bubble at different places, different wavelengths will constructively interfere at that location. This process is repeated multiple times with the multitude of bubbles leading to a mix of dynamic, shifting patterns of color. When multiple bubbles are present, their overlapping regions allow the interference effect to blend creating an even more intricate and unexpected pattern of light and color. 
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