antimirror

English

A simple antimirror that combines reflection with color reversal

Etymology

From anti- +‎ mirror.

Noun

antimirror (plural antimirrors)

1. An antisymmetric operation; the operation of reflection combined with a reversal of some sort (such as color, time, size, etc); the reflection of opposites.
   • 1992, Marvin Rosenberg, The Masks of King Lear:

     The conditions are often signs of a triumphant hero's beginnings, and indeed will almost reflect, in the antimirror, Cordelia's fate.

   • 1994, István Hargittai, Magdolna Hargittai, Symmetry: A Unifying Concept, page 116:

     When an antimirror plane is positioned between the two halves of the Herman's logo, or between the man and woman in the Russian sculpture, there is no geometrical correspondence between the two parts.

   • 1994, American Journal of Physics - Volume 62, page 328:

     A physical system may be invariant under mirror operations, but also under antimirror operations, that is mirror operations combined with time reversal.

   • 1994, R.C. Pond & J.P. Hirth, “Defects at Surfaces and Interfaces”, in Advances in Research and Applications, page 347:

     Because of their color reversing nature, antioperations act on displacements such as p in a manner complementary to the action of ordinary symmetry operations; in the present case the antimirror acts to invert the component of p responsible for breaking the symmetry, i.e., p*, and leaves invariant the normal (expansion) component, which does not break symmetry;

2. Something that inhibits reflection; something that obscures or absorbs light instead of reflecting.
   • 1994, Plasma Physics Reports - Volume 20, page 931:

     The current disruption simulation was performed with a long "antimirror" trap 2MK-200 at 10 MW/cm² flow density.

   • 2007, Eliot Fintushel, Breakfast with the Ones You Love:

     Point is, the west wall had to have zero albedo, no reflection, the opposite of the Gymsealed floor. Actually, that's how I wanted my face to be. The Yid called it a "Light Sponge" or an "antimirror."

   • 2013, Andrew Mattison, The Unimagined in the English Renaissance, page 155:

     The veil, in some of the poems I have discussed, functions as a kind of antimirror: a representation of the hidden side of nature.

Derived terms

• antimirror neuron

 

Adjective

antimirror (comparative more antimirror, superlative most antimirror)

1. Opposed to mirrors.
   • 1902 June 21, “Mirrors for Hospital Patients”, in American Medicine, volume 3, page 1032:

     We had never suspected the existence of a silly antimirror law, and if it still exists in any hospital we trust the management will hasten to rescind it.