Three sliders. Three fundamental properties of light. Each one simultaneously transforms what you see and what you hear — because the physics governing both are the same equations.
X — Observation (Wave-Particle Duality).
At zero, light is a wave: a continuous, spread-out probability field, rippling across all of space simultaneously. Slide toward particle and the wavefunction collapses — the smooth field shatters into localized photon dots, each one a quantum event with a definite position. The audio mirrors this: smooth sine-wave texture dissolves into granular staccato blips. Measurement doesn't just reveal where the particle is. It decides.
Y — Excitation (Planck's Equation: E = hf).
Energy and frequency are the same thing at quantum scale — Planck's constant h is the conversion factor. Red light vibrates at ~430 THz and carries the least energy in the visible spectrum. Violet pushes past 750 THz. The canvas shifts through the full electromagnetic spectrum as you raise excitation, and the pitch tracks it in real time: low red rumble rising to piercing violet tone.
Z — Medium Density (Refraction Index n = c/v).
In a vacuum, light travels at c — the universal speed limit — in perfect straight lines. Through water (n ≈ 1.33) it slows and bends. Through diamond (n ≈ 2.42) it slows dramatically, refracting at steep angles. The grid warps visually as density rises, and the audio introduces phase delay, damping, and acoustic compression — mimicking how wave propagation struggles through a denser medium.
drag sliders to sculpt the field · all three axes interact · sound tracks each axis in real time