Given the following situation:

 

A clear, colorless liquid is contained within a double-parabolic mirror that is constructed in such a way that anything placed inside will be reproduced as a virtual image above the two parabolic mirrors, AND the liquid is excited by an ultraviolet laser and, as a result, fluoresces...

 

Will the virtual image be distorted because of the liquid? In other words, will the liquid bend the light emitted by the excited particles?

The light will bend when it leaves the liquid, if not travelling perpendicular to the interface, due to refraction.

The interface being the surface of the liquid?

The interface being the surface of the liquid?

 

Yes, or where it hits the container, if it's in a container.

Is there any way to determine how much the virtual image would be distorted? (Is this the index of refraction that I remember hearing about somewhere?) Better yet, is there any way to bend it back? Or to prevent refraction?

*Bump*

 

Thanks for all the help, but I'm still "in the dark."

Is there any way to determine how much the virtual image would be distorted?

to calculate the refraction use snell's law:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snells_law

but is that what you were asking for?

 

Better yet, is there any way to bend it back? Or to prevent refraction?

you cannot stop refraction.

when light moves between two mediums with different densities it's wavelength increase/decreases but its frequency remains constant resulting in a varying velocity, this causes refraction, when light moves between two mediums with different density (or different refractive index) refraction occurs, you cannot stop that.

Does that mean that the closer the densities, the less refraction that occurs?

Does that mean that the closer the densities, the less refraction that occurs?

Yes I would have thought so. Look at Snell's law, see the n1 and n2 in the equation, that refers to the refractive indicies involved.