谢菲尔德大学科学家复原莱克格斯杯光学奇迹

谢菲尔德大学的科学家成功复原了罗马莱克格斯杯（Lycurgus Cup）的制作配方，并创作出具有相同变色光学效应的现代玻璃雕塑 1。该文物制作于约公元400年，由二向色玻璃制成，在正面打光时呈绿色，背面打光时呈深红色 1。

2007年，科学家发现其颜色变化是由玻璃中的纳米粒子引起的 1。罗马工匠将磨细的金和银加入混合物中以产生这些纳米粒子 1。研究揭示，这一现象源于嵌入玻璃中的金银纳米粒子对光电子振动的影响 1。此外，罗马人在熔化硅（沙子）制造玻璃时加入的盐中含有金原子 1。这种机制与19世纪银版照片因纳米粒子散射特性而产生的色彩变化类似 1。

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have successfully recreated the original recipe for the Lycurgus Cup, a Roman artifact dating to approximately 400 AD, by producing contemporary glass sculptures that replicate its distinctive dichroic optical effects 1. The ancient cup appears green when illuminated from the front and deep red when lit from behind 1. This color shift is driven by gold and silver nanoparticles embedded within the glass matrix, which influence light through plasmonic vibrations 1.

The research clarifies how Roman craftsmen achieved this effect: they incorporated finely ground gold and silver into their mixtures during production 1. Specifically, they added salt containing gold atoms while melting silica sand to create the glass 1. Although scientists first identified the role of nanoparticles in causing the color change in 2007, the Sheffield team’s work demonstrates a practical application of this knowledge by recreating the historical phenomenon using modern materials 1. The resulting optical behavior is analogous to the color variations seen in 19th-century daguerreotypes, which also stem from the scattering properties of nanoparticles 1.