There's a lot of the world we never get to see. Our visions - are earthbound.
Item #: SCP-6657
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: All copies of SCP-6657 are to be kept in a standard containment locker for Safe-class items. The original set is under preservation, and any duplications of SCP-6657 must be properly documented. Usages of materials extracted from SCP-6657 should be tracked and require written approval in advance.
Description: Originally, SCP-6657 is a set of three identical silver monocular optical devices that resemble hand-held spectroscopes. Each of them consists of three parts: a metallic tube, an adjustment wheel fixed at the middle of the tube, and an omnidirectional lens placed inside the tube.
The cylindrical hull is made of a glossy metallic material that is nearly full-reflective and not penetrable by all kinds of electromagnetic waves. According to chemical analysis, this material is not any known compound of alloy or pure metal, and hence is supposed to be anomalous to some degree. Its property of electromagnetic shield is retained when duplicated by SCP-038. The openings on both ends are lensed by ordinary optical glass.
The adjusting wheel has a circle of inscribed number scales on it, ranging from -15 to 15. When calibrated to 0 by default, light could pass through SCP-6657 with no apparent intensity loss, nor being distorted in any way. It should be mentioned that SCP-6657 does not produce spectrums as usual spectroscopes do. Instead, it notably changes the color of visible light when the wheel is calibrated to between -1 and 1; otherwise, it diminishes or extinguishes light.
The true mechanism of this effect remained unknown until SCP-6657 was dismantled. A rotating gear is seen reaching inside from a narrow slit beneath the handwheel and revolves around when the wheel is turned. At first, it's believed that the gear holds nothing but air; after the tube was dissected apart, a transparent cube attached to the rotating gear fell out from the tube. The cube was later confirmed to be a type of anomalous photonic crystal, which serves as an omnidirectional lens, also the core part of SCP-6657.
Given the fact that its refraction index is around 1.00, the cube is nearly invisible in the air, though it can be located by either detecting its mass, or putting it in water, smoke, or other optical mediums. Additionally, it produces a faint circle of rainbow-like spectrum under natural light when observed at certain angles.
Following research concluded that the crystal can alter the wavelength/frequency of electromagnetic waves passing through it, without causing detectable loss of energy in the process. This encompasses visible light, radio waves, infrared rays, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma radiation, etc. The frequency of the input will be multiplied with an exponential of 10, i.e., the number on the adjustment wheel. This is done by spinning the lens to certain angles to receive the light, because the frequency multiplication rate is in proportion to the incident angle1.
Alike the hull material, this property is retained after duplication. Currently, ways for lab-synthesizing both materials are still under research. The designation SCP-6657 is henceforth used interchangeably between the source device and the crystalline material of the cube.
Addendum 1: Test Documentation
Date: Sep. 16, 2020.
Proposal: Facilitating the hull material of SCP-6657 to create more effective protection gears against radioactive hazards.
Result: Approved. The material was mingled with common lead fiber to weave fabrics for advanced Foundation radio-proof gears; its usage for telecommunication blocking has been taken into consideration.
Date: Oct. 2, 2020.
Proposal: Use SCP-6657 to navigate harmful radiations and change them into non-ionizing rays.
Result: Approved. In the first test, an actual spectroscope was placed around the radium sample to measure the radiation in all directions. A block of SCP-6657 was carefully put beside the sample. After a few seconds, a strong outburst of multicolored light rose to the level of causing irreparable burn damage in the CMOS system of the video recorder.
Date: Oct. 31, 2020.
Proposal: Utilize SCP-6657 to make a prototype of portable weapon that could shift concentrated visible light to ionizing radiation to cause damage.
Result: Declined. Although the object class of SCP-6657 need not be changed, an additional warning of radioactive hazard is now mandatory for everyone's notice. Personnel should pay attention to not expose SCP-6657 to any kind of high-intensity light or other radio signals to prevent potential danger.
Date: Nov. 1, 2020.
Proposal: Use SCP-6657 in its original form, to tinge light from laser emitters (for recreational purposes).
Result: Approved. Safe operation was left to own discretion.
Date: Feb. 22, 2021.
Proposal: Use SCP-6657 to make photonic triodes2, dissect it into micro-sized particles, then try to apply the hull material to manufacture a prototype of high-capacity photon computer.
Result: Approved. The research was guided to find out the minimum size that SCP-6657 can still function as usual; the result turned out to be below nanometer, which is far smaller than electronic integrated chips can achieve. This potentiates further possibilities for anomaly-based supercomputers.
·
·
Redundant logs omitted.
·
·
Date: Mar. 17, 2030.
Proposal: Utilize SCP-6657 to make eyepieces that can shift invisible light on the spectrum to visible ones, to potentially expand the range of light visible to humans. This will be useful upon human's arrival at a stellar system whose host star emits a different light spectrum other than our Sun. The receivers imaging within different light ranges could then be cut down to one single receiver that is attached to an SCP-6657 light tuner.
Result: Approved. SCP-6657 will remain at hand for future intergalactic space expeditions.
·
·
·
Redundant logs omitted.
·
·
·
Date: Jul. 29, 2076.
Proposal: Design a visual system that could be easily used and understood by sapient creatures, which is based on the former oculus. This will grant more accessibility to extraterrestrial civilizations that have chances to visit the legacy and remnants of humankind, whose species' visible light ranges might differ from humans.
Result: Approved.