Does the reflection between two mirrors facing each other last indefinitely?

The Infinity Mirror effect occurs when two mirrors are placed opposite each other, in which the object's image is reflected many times, creating the illusion of countless copies extending infinitely into the distance.

Two mirrors, when placed opposite each other, will create an interesting optical phenomenon, called the Infinity Mirror effect (infinity mirror or infinity image). You can observe this effect when standing between two parallel mirrors in a house of mirrors, in some dressing rooms or some elevators.

Infinity visual effect when two mirrors are placed opposite each other. (Source: BBC).

When you look into two parallel mirrors, you will see your reflection, and also see the reflection of the other mirror behind you. In that reflection, you see a smaller reflection of yourself, and in that continue to be smaller reflections. So, this process repeats, the images The reflection stretches farther and farther and gets smaller.

An interesting aspect of infinity visual effects is how they can create a sense of depth and dimensionality. The receding reflections create a sense of infinite space, as if copies of the object were extending infinitely into the distance.

But do mirrors facing each other really create infinite reflections without end?

The reflections repeated like an endless tunnel. (Source: smorescience).

In theory it is possible, but with the mirrors in use today, it is not possible.

Conventional mirror materials, such as glass coated with a thin layer of silver and aluminum, absorb a small amount of light with each reflection.

Each time light bounces between mirrors, a small portion of it is absorbed or scattered. So with each reflection, the image fades a little. After many reflections, the light will be completely absorbed and the reflection process will now end.

"If we had perfect mirrors, the reflected images would be infinite," said Rajesh Menon, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Utah (USA).

A perfect mirror is not one that reflects the best image, but one that reflects 100% of the incoming light without absorbing any of it.

Professor Menon said the mirror's process of reflecting light back and forth follows the law of reflection.

According to this law of physics, light enters and bounces off a smooth surface, reflecting at an equal angle. However, these reflected images will gradually lose clarity.

Each time it is reflected, the images will fade a little. (Source: mindmatters)

Julie Bentley, Professor of Optics at the University of Rochester, said that every time light hits a mirror, only 90-98% is reflected and the rest is absorbed. Therefore, with each reflection, the image will dim a little until there is no longer enough light to see.

This is why when you wave at your 100th reflection, it will be difficult to see it.

Professor Menon said that with very good mirrors – those that absorb minimal light – you can create 'thousands or tens of thousands of reflections.

Currently, there is no mirror material that can reflect 100% of visible light. However, it can be done with very specific parameters for a single wavelength or 'color' of light.

'This is often achieved by eliminating transmitted light through a phenomenon called " destructive interference '," Menon said , referring to the phenomenon of light passing through a medium instead of be reflected or absorbed.

If you imagine light wavelengths as a string vibrating up and down, this phenomenon occurs when two wavelengths vibrate in completely opposite ways.

In other words, one rope will have a top while the other rope will have a bottom. As a result, the movement of both is suppressed, which maximizes the amount of light reflected.

Although ordinary mirrors may not be perfect reflectors, creating thousands of reflections could have important scientific implications.

For example, they could be used to create lasers or increase the ability of solar panels to absorb light to generate electricity, Bentley and Menon said.