THE ELECTROCHEMISTRY O F LIGHT.
lTI
B Y WILDER D. BANCROFT
The Problem of Solarization.
P a r t 111
\Then a flash of lightning is photographed, it often happens that some portions of the flash are reversed on the negative, the effect depending to a certain extent on the treatment which the plate receives. This special reversal was first observed by Clayden’ in 1899, and is known as the Clayden effect. The factors which play a part in this phenomenon were studied by R. IT. TTood.’ “Mr. Clayden showed that if a plate which had received an impression of a lightning flash or electric spark was subsequently slightly fogged, either by exposing it to diffused light or by leaving the lens of the camera open, the flash on development came out darker than the background. If, however, the plate was fogged before the image of the flash was impressed, it came out brighter than the background, as in the ordinary pictures of lightning. I refer to the appearance in the positive print in each case. Thii i i quite different from ordinary reversal due to the action of a very intense light, for the order in which the lights are applied is a factor, and the phenomenon lies whol1~-in the region of under-exposure. I repeated Mr. Clayden’s experiinent, and obtained dark flashes without any difficulty. The effect cannot, however, be obtained by impressing an image of the filament of an incandescent lamp on a plate, and subsequently fogging the plate. Clearly there is sornething about the light of the electric spark which is essential to the production of the reversal. I t is not intensity, ho1.r.ever, for I found that i t was impossible to obtain reversed images of bright sparks with the lens wide open. “
Cf Eder’s J a h r h u c h der Photographie, 15, 610 (1901) S a t u r e , 61, 104 (1b99)
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TT’iZdcr
D.Buncroft
“Fig. i 1 showi a series of spark images, wrne normal, some partly reversed, and others wholly- reversed. The sparks are those of a large inductorium with a good-sized Leyden jar in circuit. The iparks vere all of equal intensity, but after each discharge the iris diaphragm of the lens was closed a little. It nil1 be seen that the borders of the bright sparks are reversed. In some the image is reversed, xvith the exception of a narron thread dom-n the core. The images were impressed in succession on the plate bj- moving it in the camera. plate holder was dispenscd IT ith, an opening being made in the ground-glass back by removing a strip a few centimeters nide. The plate wai held against this opening, and a large number of exposures made in a fen- minutes. Of course, the iootii wa\ in total darkness. -After exposure, the plate was exposed to the light of a candle for a second or two, and then developed. In this series of pictures it n ill be seen that the edges of the bright images of the sparks are reversed, the intensity on the border of the iniage being less than at the core. As the intensity of the spark l>ecornes less and less, the bright central core dwindles down to a mere thread, and eventually disappears, the spark’s image being feeble enough to reverse over its entire area. “This explains why the dark liqhtning flashes are usually ramifications of the main flash. The ramifications are less brilliant discharges and rexerse, while the main one is too bright to cause the effect. “The first thing that occurs to one is that it may be some peculiar radiation, TI hich the spark emits, which is wanting in the light coming froin other bodies. If a small photographic plate is partlj- screened by a piece of black paper and illuminated by the light of a small spark at a distance of two or three feet, and a similar plate, screened in the same manner, is illuminated for a monient by candle light of sufficient intensity to produce the same amount of blackening on [The cuts ielerred to in t h e text x e not reproduced in this paper.]
The Electrochemistry
0)
Light
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developnient, we shall have the nieans of showing that the spark light differs in its action on the plate from that of the candle. If these two plates, before development, be halfscreened in a direction at right angles to the former one, and exposed to the light of the candle for a second or two, the part of the plate which has been illuminated by spark light plus candle light does not become as black on developing as the part which has received candle light alone, Ithereas the part which has been twice exposed to candle light is blacker than that which has been only exposed once. This shows t h a t the light of the spark does not act in the same s a > - as the light of the candle. %-herein does it differ' It seemed possible that the peculiarity lay in the nature of its radiation. To test this a prism was placed before the lens of tlie camera, which broke up the image of the spark into a series of spark images of different color. The plate was exposed to the flashed speetruni of a single spark, then removed from the camera and exposed to the candle light, and developed. If the reversing effect was due to any peculiar radiation or wave-length ire should find the reversal a t that part of the spectrum where tlie effective radiation belonged, iay in the infra-red if the reversing power lay in long Fvavei $\-en out bj- the spark. It w a i found that tlic entire ipectrum came out lighter on the negative than tlie fogged background. A second plate was exposed t o the spectrum flash, then sliqlitly fogged, and a second spectrum impressed on it in a different place. On developing, one spectrum came out light and tlie other dark. Clearly the effect does not depend on wavelength. It then occurred to me that the time-element might enter into the problem. The light of the spark is over in about ~,'jooooof a second, and i t did not seem impossible that a bright light of exceedingly short duration might act quite differently on a plate from a weaker light of longer duration. This may be tested in a variety of ways. 11-e may open the lens wide, impress the image of a single spark on the plate, and then stop the lens down and superimpoie a number of spark images sufficient t o make the total exposure the same
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in each case. This was the first method which I tried. In order t o compel the successive sparks to pass over the same path, that their images might be superposed, I shut them up in a capillary tube. 173th the lens open wide enough to give the maximum reversing action, I passed a single discharge through the capillary. Stopping the lens down to one quarter of its former aperture, four discharges were passed through the tube. The plate was then fogged in the usual manner, and on development the single discharge was reversed, but the composite one was not. “Fig. 2 is from a plate showing this effect. The upper images are those of single discharges through the capillary, with different apertures of the lens; the lower images are those of double or triple discharges through the same tube. The left-hand side of the plate Ivas exposed to the candle light for different amounts of time, by moving the screen over small distances during the exposure. Only the single discharges reverse, though the intensity of the images on the unfogged portion of the plate is the same. ‘(This was strong evidence that the duration of the illumination was the important factor. Some years ago I measured the duration of the flash of exploding oxy-hydrogen, finding it to be about 1 / 1 2 0 0 0 of a second. Possibly the flash of such an explosion would duplicate the effect. I exploded several glass bulbs with electrolytic gas, but found that the action was the same as that of ordinary light, it being impossible to get any reversal. The flash evidently lasted too long, or there still remained some undiscovered factor. ” ‘‘ To demonstrate conclusively that the time-factor was the only one, it was necessary to secure an illumination independent of the electric spark, and of as short duration. This was accomplished in the following manner: 9 disc 30 cms. in diameter was furnished with a radial slit I millimeter wide near its periphery, and mounted on the shaft of a high-speed electric motor. A second slit of equal width was arranged close to the rim of the disc, in such a position that
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the two slits would be in coincidence once in every revolution. This second slit was cut in the wall of a vertical chute, down which a photographic plate could be dropped. By means of a large convex lens of short focus, an image of the crater of an arc-lamp was thrown on the point of coincidence of the slits. The intensity of the illumination transmitted by the slits when in coincidence mas almost sufficient to char paper. The motor was now set in motion, and a plate dropped down the chute. On developing this plate, three images of the slit appeared, not all over-exposed, though the plate was the fastest obtainable, and the intensity of the light while it lasted comparable to that a t the focus of a burning glass. By measuring the distance between the images and the vertical distances through which the plate had fallen, it was an easy matter to calculate the speed of rotation, which was found to be sixty revolutions per second, the air friction of the disc preventing higher speed. The duration of the exposure will be the time occupied by the rim in travelling a distance equal to the width of the slit, or I mm. This was found to be 1/55000 of a second, about that of the spark. The crucial experiment now remained. -4 second plate was dropped, and, before development, was exposed to the light of the candle, The images of the slit were most beautifully reversed, except a t the center, where the light was too intense. It seems, then, that we are justified in assuming that the action of an intense light on a plate for a very brief time-interval decreases the sensitiveness of the plate to light. It is curious to contrast with this effect the fact that exposure to a dim light for a moment or two appears to increase the sensibility by doing the small amount of preliminary work on the molecules, which seems to be necessary before any change can be effected that will respond to the developer. '' I am not prepared to say what the nature of the change effected by- the flash is. Possibly some one familiar with the theory of sensitive emulsions can answer the question. I have tried using polarized light for the reversing flash, and then fogging out one-half of the plate with light polarized in
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the same plane, and the other half with light polarized at right angles to it. A s was to be expected, there was no difference in the effects.” IYhat seems at first sight to be another form of reversal was observed by Trowbridge.’ “ I n passing from the study of the light emitted by gases under the effect of electrical discharges to the investigation of the light produced by discharges of great quantity, one enters a new field of research. In previous papers on the spectra of hydrogen I have stated nij- convictions of the importance of the r61e played by water-vapor in glass spectrumtubes. The results of further study emphasize these convictions. K i t h powerful discharges in hydrogen, oxygen, and rarefied air, even when these gases are dried with the utmost care, I always obtain the same spectrum, which I regard as that arising from the dissociation of water-vapor which is always present in glass tubes. The bright-line spectrum, moreover, at high temperatures is accompanied by a faint continuous spectrum on m-hich are dark lines which indicate a selective reversibility in the silver salt. This reversibility, it seems to me, is of great significance in the application of photography to astrophysics. L L It has long been recognized that spectrum analysis is an extremely delicate method of recognizing the presence of a gas or the s-apor of a metal under the excitation of heat; and when the improvements in the photography enabled us to obtain permanent records of the spectra of gases, it was supposed that we had a means of escaping from the fallacies of eye-observations which arose from personal idiosyncracies. If the photographic plate were a perfect instrument for recording the infinite number of vibrations which light can communicate to atoms of matter, we should certainly feel that we had made a great advance in physical science. When we reflect, however, on the supposition that emulsions containing silver salts are capable of responding and giving a Phil RIag [6], 4,
I
j 6 (1902).
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permanent record of all wa\-es of light, even in the portion of the spectrum considered most actinic, when the waves exceed a certain intensity, we are conscious that we rely without proof upon an infinite range of photochemical action, and indeed I show in this paper the existence of a selective reversibility produced on the photographic plate bj- powerful discharges producing light of great intensity. “V’hen we turn to powerful discharges through Plucker or Geissler tubes filled with hylrogen which has bcen dried with care, we also obtain a faint continuous spectrum on which are bright lines and dark linei. Moreover, what are apparentlj- the strongest bright lines of the dissociationspectrum of n-ater-vapor are not reversed. There is a selective reversibility which arises a t high temperatures. “This fact seems to me of great importance in the application of photography t o the study of celestial phenomena. Reversal of spectrum lines does not necessarily indicate reversing layers of cooling gases, and in certain cases may arise from photo-chemical action of the silver salt. One immediately thinks in this connection of the phenomenon of dark lightning or the Clayden effect, and of the interesting experiments of Professor Nipher. Spectrum analysis, however, reveals a selective reversibility uhich must be carefully studied before n e can properly interpret the records of photograph>-. There are doubtless inany states of vibration, even in the actinic portion of the spectrum, which are not recorded by the silver salt, for this selective reversibilit!may obliterate or prevent a permanent record. I have obtained this re\-ersing action with different emulsions on glass and also on celluloid films. The strongest reversals are approximately a t rave-lengths 4 2 2 7 , 3930, 3965. There is also a faint reversal a t wave-length 3953. Reversals are often seen on the negative which disappear in the fiuingbath. ‘‘ In this investigation, ten thousand cells were etnployed to charge a glass condenser of 0.6 microfarad. The charge was sent through Geissler tubes with practicallj-
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no self-induction in the discharge-circuit. The bore of the capillary tubes was I mm., and the tubes were filled with apparently dry hydrogen at a pressure of approximately 0.1mm. The tubes were also filled with oxygen and also with rarefied air at the same pressure. I have reached a limit in subjecting glass tubes to powerful discharges, and am now turning my attention to obtaining quartz tubes in the hope of securing a more resisting material. " I n a previous paper I expressed my conviction that the four-line spectrum observed in the protuberances of the sun is an evidence of the presence of water-vapor in the sun's atmosphere, and an evidence, therefore, of the presence of oxygen. In the spectrum one sees on the negative two reversed lines which coincide with the great H , H lines of the solar spectrum. These are seen bright in B, Fig. 4.' One also sees a strong reversed line a t approximately wave-length 4 2 2 7 ; and there is a reversed band coinciding with the solar region of reversed lines between wave-lengths 43 I 5-4285. These regions in the sun are doubtless composite photographs of reversals of many elements. I believe that there is a basis of reversal due to the dissociation of water-vapor. ( ( T h e nomenclature of the stars in regard to their types of spectra may need revision. The higher temperature I get, the more dark lines I obtain. Xn excess of dissociation of water-vapor may suffice to give a t a comparatively low temperature the bright-line spectrum of hydrogen. -At higher temperature the dissociation of this vapor in the presence of atmospheric air may give dark lines. The intense light due to the dissociation of watervapor under the effect of powerful discharges is the nearest approach to sunlight which I have been able to produce. Its actinic effect is greater than that of magnesium, zinc, or aluminum. I t may be that the variability of certain stars is due to a variability in the amount of water-vapor which is being dissociated; and one is led to conjecture whether the i(
'
[ N o t rein-oducecl in this p a l m . ]
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light of the sun’s atmosphere may not be due to an electrical dissociation. The selective reversibility of the silver salts seems to me, therefore, of great importance in the subject of astrophysics, for we can have reversible effects on the photographic plates which are not due to the reversing effect of colder layers of gases. In other words, we have actions recorded which are on the plates and not in the heavens. The intense light due to the dissociation of water-vapor may entirely mask the fainter light of the metallic lines in stars which show only gaseous spectra, especially when we consider the varying distances of the stars. I have employed electrodes of platinum, copper, silver, aluminum, iron, and found no trace of the lines of their vapor in the spectrum of the dissociation of water-vapor. Even when caustic soda is present in the tubes, although it fills the tube with a brilliant yellow light with comparatively low discharges, no trace is seen of i t when the tube is excited with powerful discharges. Then we have the brilliant white light of the water-vapor spectrum. ‘ < T h esilver salt, therefore, does not respond to all rates of vibration; or if it does respond, the molecular action is unstable and there is no resultant reaction which is evidenced by a photographic image. There may be spectra a t very high instantaneous temperatures which we cannot photograph. It seems reasonable to suppose that the silver molecule is limited in its rate of vibrations, and that the photographic plate as well as the human eye is a limited instrument of research.” These phenomena have been studied more in detail by R. IT.Wood.’ “ The importance of distinguishing between photographic and true reversals of lines in spectrograms has made it seem worth while to investigate with some care the conditions under which reversals due entirely to photographic action can occur. Professor Trowbridgez has advanced the theory __
’ Phil. Mag. [ 6 ] ,6, 5:; *
(1903).
[Ibid. [ 6 ] , 4, 160 ( 1 9 0 2 ) ]
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of selective reversibility of the silver salts in the sensitive film for certain wave-lengths, and it was in part to determine whether the tendency of a line to reverse was a function of the wave-length, that the present investigation was undertaken. “As I showed several years ago, the Clayden effect, or the type of reversal giving rise to the phenomenon of dark lightning, results from the action of a light-shock on the plate before its exposure to diffuse light. The effect of this lightshock, which must be of very brief duration, is to decrease the sensibility of the plate, resulting in a less energetic action during the subsequent illumination. I made no attempt at the time to determine the maximum duration of the light shock which would still give the Clayden reversal, but expressed the opinion that it could not exceed I / I O , O O O of a second. This opinion was based on a single experiment, and I have since found that by a suitable adjustment of the conditions the duration may be as great a t I/IOOO of a second, though only a very slight trace of reversal occurs under these conditions. It appears to me now that there are at least four different types of photographic reversal, or perhaps five if we allow the chemical treatment of the plate between two exposures. As any one of these four types is liable to occur in any photographic work, when the proper conditions are fulfilled, it may be ell to enumerate them at the beginning. ( ( F i r s t Type.-The ordinary over-exposure reversal, which occurs when the plate is given three or four hundred times its normal exposure and then developed in the usual way. Second Tyfie.--The reversals produced by developing the plate in full lamp-light, the plate having been more or less over-exposed to begin with. This type has been extensively studied by Sipher, the results of his experiments being given in the Proceedings of the St. Louis Academy of Science. T h i r d Tyfie.-This type must occur frequently, though
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I never remember to have seen it described. It happens when a normally or under-exposed plate is developed and then exposed to light for a minute or two before the hypo bath. The fogging, which is usually of a reddish-brown color, does not occur on the portions of the plate where there is a developed image, and even if this image is very feeble it remains clean and almost transparent. I first noticed this effect in some photographs of spectra which showed strong reversals along the edges where the illumination must have been very feeble, and was unable to explain it. Further experimenting showed that it had resulted from turning up the light before the plate had been thoroughly fixed. Doubtless this effect has been described time and again in the photographic journals, but it was n e x to me, and may be to some others. Reversals of this type will be seen in Fig. 6 illustrating my paper on screens transparent to ultra-violet light.’ The spectra (negative) have brighter borders. “Fouvth Type.-The Clayden effect which is the type chiefly to be dealt with in the present paper. This occurs when an exposure of about I , 1000 of a second or less is given, and the plates subsequently fogged by exposure to diffuse light before development. If images of electric sparks are thrown on a plate and the plate then exposed to the light of a candle for a few seconds, the spark images ill develop reversed, which is not the case if the exposure to candlelight precedes the impression of the spark images. “This effect is shown in Fig. X.? X series of spark images have been gradually reversed by exposing the plate in strips to the light of a candle. The upper strip was exposed 30 seconds, the following 2 0 , 15, IO, j , 2 , o respectively. “Fijth Type.-I have found that the condition produced in the sensitive film by light shock can be imitated by treating the plate, after exposing portions of it to the action of a feeble light for a few seconds, to an oxidizing bath of bichromate of potash and nitric acid. If the plate is dried and
’ Phil. Mag., February, *
1903.
[The figures referred t o in the text are not reproduced in this article.]
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then fogged by candle-light and developed, the previously exposed portions will come out reversed. “This effect is shown in Plate X X T I , Fig. 4. A series of spark images were impressed on the plate, which was then covered with a piece of black paper in which a narrow slit had been cut. 9 number of images of this slit were then impressed on the plate by exposure to the light of a candle. If the plate in this condition was then fogged by candlelight and developed, the spark-images would come out reversed and the slit images not reversed. Before fogging it, one end (the upper in the print) was immersed for a few minutes in a very dilute solution of bichromate of potash, slightly acidified with nitric acid. It was then dried, exposed to candle-light and developed. In the lower portion of the print me find the sparks black and the slit images white; in the upper portion both sets of images come out dark, the reversal of the sparks being much stronger than on the untreated portion of the plate. “In the present paper I propose to discuss the Clayden effect not only in connection with the selective reversibility hypothesis adopted by Professor Trowbridge to explain his spectrum photographs, but also in relation to the time factor, and radiations other than light, such as the Becquerel and Rontgen rays, which are quite different in their action from light. “I shall, in dealing with the subject, speak of the initial exposure of brief duration as the light-shock. The subsequent illumination which causes the reversal of the impression of the shock, I shall call the fogging exposure. “The first subject investigated was the relation of the phenomenon to the wave-length of the light. The light shock in this case was administered by exposing the plate to the spectrum of one or more sparks between cadmium electrodes by means of a small quartz spectrograph. Even with a small diaphragm the illumination by a single spark yielded a developable image of the spectrum down to the extreme ultra-violet. Six spectra were impressed on the
The Electrochewistry of Light
28 I
same plate with different sized diaphragms; the plate was then exposed to the light of a candle for a few seconds and developed, the result being produced in Plate XXVI, Fig. I . It will be seen that the lines and the continuous background come out positive in the two upper spectra, showing that if the shock is too intense no reversal takes place, a circumstance in which the Clayden effect differs essentially from ordinary reversal due to over-exposure. Professor Trowbridge says that his reversals occur where bright lines fall on a continuous background, and considers the reversing action proportional to the product of the two effects. If his reversals are of this nature this cannot be the case, for by making one factor ithe light shock) large, no trace of reversal appears. AkI shall show presently, this statement requires some modification, for, as we increase the intensity of the shock, we can by increasing the fogging exposure still get reversal. Xs I said in my previous note, it appears probable to me that in Professor Trowbridge’s photographs of spectra of single sparks, the shock was the almost instantaneous exposure to a bright-line spectrum of exceeding brief duration, followed by an exposure to a superimposed continuous spectrum of longer duration, which may have been due to incandescence of the inner wall of the capillary tube, or to phosphorescence of the gas. By employing a tube with a bore of about 0.25 mm. I have obtained reversed lines in the blue with the single discharges of a medium-sized induction-coil and condenser. “The fact that the faint continuous spectrum of the spark is uniformly reversed shows that there is no selective reversibility so far as the initial light-shock is concerned. [‘I next endeavored t o determine whether the wavelength of the fogging-light had anything to do with the matter (in which case we should expect reversals in some parts of the spectrum and not in others), in the particular case where the fogging illumination was spread out into a spectrum as in Professor Trowbridge’s photographs. Having already found that fogging the plate with X-rays never gave reversals
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of spark images, it occurred to me that possibly ultra-violet light might act in a similar manner. Having impressed a number of spark images on a plate, it was illuminated with light = 23, from a disof wave-length in the neighborhood of charge between cadmium electrodes, a screen provided with a slit being placed in the focal plane of the quartz spectrograph, with the plate of a short distance behind it. The spark-images were not reversed, and it appeared a t first sight as if ultra-violet light of this wave-length acted like the X-rays. I was, however, not willing to accept this conclusion without further study, since the fogging illumination in this case consists in reality of a number of feeble light-shocks, that is, it is of much briefer duration than in the case of candle-light. In the first experiment the fogging illumination by ultra-violet light was produced by the passage of perhaps a score of sparks before the slit of the spectrograph. To get a feebler illumination of longer duration I moved the next plate to a distance of about two meters from the screen and let the coil run for about a minute. The room was absolutelj- dark, the spark-terminals and the front of the spectrograph being covered with a heavy black cloth, so that the only light that reached the plate was of the wavelength above mentioned. On this plate the spark-images, which had been previously impressed were strongly reversed showing that the time factor comes in the fogging light as well as in the light-shock, and that ultra-violet light is as efficient as any other, if it is not of too brief duration. This appears to dispose of the idea of selective reversibility, a t least so far as the Clayden effect is concerned. “Investigatioqz o j the Time Factoy.-To determine the maximum duration of time which the light-shock may have and still reverse, the following method was used: 14 disk of cardboard 50 cms. in diameter was mounted on the shaft of an electric motor, the speed of which could be determined by the tracing of a tuning-fork on a smoked metal plate mounted on the same shaft. Near the rim of the disk a number of narrow slits were cut, varying in width from I mm. to 5
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ninis. An arc-light was focused on the rini by means of a large condensing-lens, the image of the crater being about half a millimeter in diameter. By driving the disk a t a high rate of speed, intermittent flashes of very brief duration were obtained as the slits passed across the arc’s image. A short distance behind the disk, a rectangular metal tube was mounted provided with a slit 1.5 mm. wide, immediately opposite the point where the image of the arc fell on the disk. Down this tube the plate was dropped, receiving in its passage before the slit light flashes of varying duration. The plate was subsequently exposed to candle-light and developed. The images of the slit in the case of the briefest flashes were perfectly sharp, in the other cases they were broadened owing to the rapid motion of the plate. This made the interpretation of some of the records difficult, and it was found better, when working with flashes longer than 1/20oo of a second in duration, to lower the plate down the tube with a thread. X print from one of these plates is shown in Fig. 2 , Plate XXVI. In this case there were two I mm. slits on the rim of the disk not very far apart, then a slit somewhat wider further around, and after this a still wider one. It will be seen that the slit images formed b>-the two very short flashes are completely reversed, while the others are only reversed on their edges. “If the plate moves during the exposure, as was the case in this photograph, it is obvious that the edges of the slitimage will receive less exposure than the center, which accounts for the partial reversal. As the results of exposing about two dozen plates, it was found that the duration of the shock could be as long as ~/roooof a second, and still yield reversals. It was only b?- carefully regulating the intensity of the fogging-light and the duration of the development that these reversals could be obtained. (‘JYhen the duration is less than I / 2 0 0 0 sec. reversals could be obtained without difficulty. Flashes varying in duration from I/I j,ooO sec. to I / ~ O Osec. were studied, and it was found that as the duration of the shock was increased
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the reversals became weaker, the images finally failing to appear at all on the plate, notwithstanding the longer duration of the flash. On still further increasing the duration, the images came out not reversed. There may be some connection between the condition in which the light shocks fail t o develop a t all, and the zero condition of the plate described by Nipher. “The experiment in which the fogging of the plate was effected by exposure to ultra-violet light furnished by a quartz spectrograph shows that the time factor plays a r61e in the fogging-light as well as in the light-shock. “ It was found that if the fogging light was rather intense but of short duration, the image of the light-shock did not reverse; if the light was less intense, but of a little longer duration, no trace of the shock appeared, while if the light was still less intense, and of somewhat longer duration, the image came out reversed. m’ith a suitable ratio of intensities and durations of time, it is possible to superpose two impressions on a photographic plate, only one of which appears on development. “This effect was shown in Fig. 3, Plate XXVI. A series of spark-images of equal intensity was impressed on the plate, which was then fogged in sections, the lower strip being exposed to the light of one spark a t a distance of a meter, the next to the light of four sparks at a distance of two meters, the next to nine sparks a t three meters, and so on. The total amount of fogging-light was thus approximately the same in each case, though i t was found that considerably greater action was produced by a larger number of sparks at a considerable distance, than by a single spark close to the plate. It will be noticed that on the third strip from the bottom there is scarcely a trace of the spark-images. The ratio of the times of duration of the shock and the fogginglight was in this case about I : 9. On the two strips below this one, the sparks appear not reversed, while on all of the strips above reversal has taken place. “ A more careful quantitative investigation of these
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effects is much to be desired, with apparatus of such design that the duration and intensity of both the light-shock and fogging-light can be accurately controlled. “ I am of the opinion that the result of such an investigation would be the establishment of the fact that with very brief and intense light-shocks, comparatively intense fogginglight of short duration will yield reversals, while in the case of shocks of say I ’1000 sec. duration, the fogging-light must be feeble and of long duration in order that reversals may be obtained. My plates appear to indicate this qualitatively, but quantitative data could doubtless be obtained with suitable apparatus. As I shall show later, it is possible to administer the shock in such a manner that it comes out reversed even when the fogging-light is the flash of a single spark. ‘(1have tried to obtain some idea of the action of the light-shock by attempting to transform its effect on the plate into an effect similar to that produced by ordinary exposure, by means of the action of various chemical agents. These experiments were all failures, but the interesting fact was ascertained that an ordinary exposure appeared to be transformed into a shock exposure by the action of a dilute bath of bichromate of potash slightly acid with ”0,. This effect is shown in Fig. 4, Plate XXT’I. X series of sparkimages was impressed on the plate, and then a series of images obtained by illuminating the plate with the light of a candle shining through a slit in a piece of black paper. One-half of the plate was then dipped into the bath, washed and dried, exposed to the light of a candle, and developed. A print from this plate is reproduced in Fig. 4, Plate XXVI. On the upper portion, which was treated with bichromate, both the spark-images appear reversed, on the lower, the latter are not reversed. This experiment merely shows that a plate which has been exposed to light in certain places and then treated to the bichromate solution, is less sensitive i o the action of subsequent illumination on the spots which have previously received light. The condition may appear
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TVilder D. Baiicvoft
a t first sight to be similar to that produced by a light-shock, but there is in realitj- probablj- no connection between the two, for while light-shocks not followed by fogging can be developed as not reversed images, the “bichromatized images” do not develop at all unless the plate is fogged before development. “The nearest approach which I have been able to make to the transformation of the effect of a light-shock into that due to ordinary exposure, is by the action of the X-rays. It was found that spark-images could not be reversed under any circumstances if the plate was fogged by these rays instead of candle light. To p r o w that the case was not analogous to the one in which ultra-violet light failed to give reversals, oxving to the comparatively brief duration of the illumination, long exposures were made with the X-ray tube a t a considerable distance. Kot only were reversals never obtained, but it was found that after a brief exposure to the rays, fogging the plate by lamp-light failed to reverse the spark-images. This seemed TTery remarkable, for it was subsequently ascertained that X-ray images could be reversed even when produced by long exposure to feeble radiation, by subsequent exposure of the plate t o lamp-light. This effect is shown in Fig. j , Plate XXYI. “The spark-images were impressed first. The plate was then exposed in vertical strips to the action of X-rays for varying lengths of time, the left-hand strip receiving the longest exposure, while the right-hand strip was not exposed at all. Following this came an exposure in horizontal strips to lamp-light, the lower strip having the longest exposure and the upper one having none a t all. It will be seen that there is no trace of reversal in the upper left-hand corner, where the fogging is due almost wholly to X-rays, while reversed edges appear on all of the sparks in the lower righthand corner, where the fogging was due to light: moreover, in the lower left-hand corner, where the X-raj- fog preceded the light fog, the images were not reversed. On investigating the matter further, I found that shocks administered by
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single powerful flashes of X-rays were reversed by subsequent exposure to lamp-light. In this case, however, the time element appears to be without much influence, for images formed by long exposure to very feeble X-radiation reverse in the same manner. This seems very remarkable, when we consider the fact that exposure to these rays changes the condition produced by light-shock in some manner, so that it is impossible to reverse it by further fogging. “The reversal by X-rays is illustrated in Fig. 6. A plate was wrapped up in black paper and exposed to the radiation for several minutes, a vertical iron rod shielding the center strip of the plate. The plate was then exposed to lamplight for different lengths of time in strips perpendicular to the shadow of the iron rod. On development it was found that on the end of the plate which had received the shorter exposures to light, the central strip came out lighter than the background, while on the opposite end of the plate it was darker. At a certain point near the center of the plate, all traces of the shadow of the rod had disappeared, showing that exposure to X-rays for some time, and then to light for certain time, produces an image no blacker than the light alone would have produced.
