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The Physics of Color

In space, massive objects bend light. In Monolex, your theme’s anchor color bends other colors. This creates natural harmony - everything curves toward your theme’s identity. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    GRAVITATIONAL LENSING IN SPACE                       |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|                         * Distant Star                                  |
|                         |                                               |
|                         |  (light travels toward us)                    |
|                         |                                               |
|                    ____\|/____                                          |
|                  /      |      \                                        |
|                 |    @@@|@@@    |                                       |
|                 |   @@     @@   |  <-- Massive Object                   |
|                 |    @@@@@@@    |      (bends light around it)          |
|                  \      |      /                                        |
|                    ----/|\----                                          |
|                        / \                                              |
|                       /   \                                             |
|                      /     \                                            |
|                     *   *   *  <-- We see multiple images               |
|                                                                         |
|   Einstein predicted this in 1915. Proven in 1919.                     |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    EINSTEIN ARC IN COLOR                                |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   Theme Anchor: Blue (250 deg)                                         |
|                                                                         |
|                              * Any Color                                |
|                              |                                          |
|                              |  (input to terminal)                     |
|                              |                                          |
|                         ____\|/____                                     |
|                       /      |      \                                   |
|                      |    @@@|@@@    |                                  |
|                      |   @THEME@@@   |  <-- Theme Anchor                |
|                      |    @@@@@@@    |      (bends colors around it)    |
|                       \      |      /                                   |
|                         ----/|\----                                     |
|                             / \                                         |
|                            /   \                                        |
|                           *     *  <-- Colors redistributed             |
|                                                                         |
|   Colors near the "opposite" of your theme get compressed.             |
|   Colors near your theme get more room to spread out.                  |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
The Caustic Zone

In gravitational lensing, light converges at a bright spot called the “caustic.” In color, the Caustic zone is where complementary colors get compressed. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                         THE CAUSTIC ZONE                                |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   Theme: Blue (anchor = 250 deg)                                       |
|                                                                         |
|                              0 deg (Red)                                |
|                                 *                                       |
|                               /   \                                     |
|                             /       \                                   |
|                    330    /           \    30                           |
|                      *  /               \  *                            |
|                        /                 \                              |
|                       /                   \                             |
|              270 *---+                     +---* 90                     |
|            BLUE      |                     |     YELLOW                 |
|           ANCHOR     |     CAUSTIC         |                            |
|                       \      ZONE         /                             |
|                        \    (130 deg)    /                              |
|                    210  *   center     * 150                            |
|                          \           /                                  |
|                           \         /                                   |
|                             *     *                                     |
|                              180 deg                                    |
|                                                                         |
|   The Caustic zone forms OPPOSITE to your anchor:                      |
|   - Anchor: 250 deg (Blue)                                             |
|   - Complementary: 250 + 180 = 70 deg (Yellow-Green)                   |
|   - Caustic center: 70 + 60 = 130 deg (offset to avoid useful colors)  |
|   - Caustic zone: 40 deg to 220 deg (with 90 deg width)                |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
What Happens Inside vs Outside

The Einstein Arc algorithm treats colors differently based on their location. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    INSIDE vs OUTSIDE THE CAUSTIC                        |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|                              Hue Wheel                                  |
|                                                                         |
|                           \     |     /                                 |
|                        \   \    |    /   /                              |
|                     \   \   \   |   /   /   /                           |
|                  \   \   \   \  |  /   /   /   /                        |
|               +=================================+  <-- Caustic Boundary |
|               |                                 |                       |
|               |      INSIDE: Gradient Fill      |                       |
|               |      (OKLAB smooth blend)       |                       |
|               |            @ @ @                |                       |
|               |          @ @ @ @ @              |                       |
|               |            @ @ @                |                       |
|               |                                 |                       |
|               +=================================+  <-- Caustic Boundary |
|                  /   /   /   /  |  \   \   \   \                        |
|                     /   /   /   |   \   \   \                           |
|                        /   /    |    \   \                              |
|                           /     |     \                                 |
|                                                                         |
|               OUTSIDE: Hue Compression                                  |
|               (Colors spread out to fill space)                         |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      TWO DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS                           |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   OUTSIDE THE CAUSTIC ZONE                                             |
|   =========================                                             |
|                                                                         |
|   Colors get redistributed around the wheel.                           |
|   The zone shrinks, so outside colors expand.                          |
|                                                                         |
|   BEFORE:  |...|...|...|ZONE|...|...|...|                              |
|   AFTER:   |....|....|....|ZN|....|....|....|                          |
|                           ^^                                            |
|                      Zone shrank                                        |
|                                                                         |
|   This is a POLAR operation (works on hue angles directly).            |
|                                                                         |
|   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────    |
|                                                                         |
|   INSIDE THE CAUSTIC ZONE                                              |
|   ========================                                              |
|                                                                         |
|   Colors blend smoothly using OKLAB gradients.                         |
|   No hue compression - just smooth transitions.                        |
|                                                                         |
|   Left Boundary                              Right Boundary             |
|        *──────────────────────────────────────────*                     |
|        |                                          |                     |
|        |   Smooth gradient in OKLAB space         |                     |
|        |   (prevents muddy intermediate colors)   |                     |
|        |                                          |                     |
|                                                                         |
|   This is a CARTESIAN operation (works on a,b coordinates).            |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
Why Two Approaches?

Using both prevents the “muddy middle” problem. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    THE MUDDY MIDDLE PROBLEM                             |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   Interpolating between Blue (240 deg) and Yellow (60 deg)             |
|                                                                         |
|   HUE-ONLY INTERPOLATION (problematic):                                |
|   =====================================                                 |
|                                                                         |
|   Blue --> Cyan --> Green --> Yellow                                   |
|   240      180      120      60                                         |
|                                                                         |
|   [####] --> [####] --> [    ] --> [####]                              |
|                           ^^                                            |
|                      MUDDY GREEN!                                       |
|                  (Low saturation midpoint)                              |
|                                                                         |
|   The midpoint passes through unsaturated colors.                      |
|                                                                         |
|   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────    |
|                                                                         |
|   OKLAB INTERPOLATION (smooth):                                        |
|   ==============================                                        |
|                                                                         |
|   Instead of walking around the hue wheel,                             |
|   draw a straight line in OKLAB space:                                 |
|                                                                         |
|                +b (Yellow)                                              |
|                     |                                                   |
|                     |     * Yellow (60 deg)                             |
|                     |    /                                              |
|                     |   /  <-- Straight line!                           |
|                     |  /                                                |
|   -a ---------------+/------------------ +a                             |
|                     /                                                   |
|                    * Blue (240 deg)                                     |
|                     |                                                   |
|                -b (Blue)                                                |
|                                                                         |
|   Blue --> Purple --> Magenta --> Pink --> Yellow                      |
|                                                                         |
|   [####] --> [####] --> [####] --> [####] --> [####]                   |
|                           ^^                                            |
|                    VIBRANT PURPLE!                                      |
|                 (Saturation preserved)                                  |
|                                                                         |
|   OKLAB straight-line interpolation maintains saturation.              |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
The Three Modes

The Einstein Arc has three operating modes. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      EINSTEIN ARC MODES                                 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   MODE 0: NONE                                                         |
|   ============                                                          |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   No transformation applied.                                  |    |
|   |   Colors pass through unchanged.                              |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   Use when: You want pure, unmodified colors                  |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|                                                                         |
|   MODE 1: COMPRESS                                                     |
|   ================                                                      |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   Hue-only compression everywhere.                            |    |
|   |   May cause discontinuities at zone boundaries.               |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   [Before] |---|----|---|----|---|----|---|                   |    |
|   |   [After]  |----|----|--|--|----|----|----|                   |    |
|   |                       ^  ^                                    |    |
|   |                    Compressed                                 |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   Use when: You want simple hue redistribution                |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|                                                                         |
|   MODE 2: COMPRESS + GRADIENT (default, recommended)                   |
|   ===================================================                   |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   Outside zone: Compress hues (polar operation)               |    |
|   |   Inside zone: OKLAB gradient (Cartesian operation)           |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   [Before] |---|----|---|----|---|----|---|                   |    |
|   |   [After]  |----|----|~~smooth~~|----|----| |                 |    |
|   |                       ^         ^                             |    |
|   |                    Gradient fill                              |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   |   Best of both worlds: smooth inside, redistributed outside   |    |
|   |                                                               |    |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
The Decision Flow

Here’s how a color decides which path to take. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      EINSTEIN ARC DECISION FLOW                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   INPUT: Color with Hue angle                                          |
|             |                                                           |
|             v                                                           |
|   +-------------------+                                                 |
|   | Is mode = 0?      |--YES--> Pass through unchanged                  |
|   +--------+----------+                                                 |
|            | NO                                                         |
|            v                                                            |
|   +-------------------+                                                 |
|   | Calculate delta   |                                                 |
|   | from Caustic      |                                                 |
|   | center            |                                                 |
|   +--------+----------+                                                 |
|            |                                                            |
|            v                                                            |
|   +-------------------+                                                 |
|   | Is color INSIDE   |                                                 |
|   | Caustic zone?     |                                                 |
|   | (delta < width)   |                                                 |
|   +--------+----------+                                                 |
|            |                                                            |
|      +-----+-----+                                                      |
|      |           |                                                      |
|     YES          NO                                                     |
|      |           |                                                      |
|      v           v                                                      |
|   +--------+  +--------+                                                |
|   | INSIDE |  | OUTSIDE|                                                |
|   +--------+  +--------+                                                |
|      |           |                                                      |
|      v           v                                                      |
|   If mode=2:  Always:                                                   |
|   OKLAB       Hue                                                       |
|   gradient    compression                                               |
|      |           |                                                      |
|      v           v                                                      |
|   Smooth      Redistributed                                             |
|   blend       hue angle                                                 |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
Compression Visualization

Watch colors compress and expand. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    COMPRESSION VISUALIZATION                            |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   Caustic center: 130 deg                                              |
|   Caustic width: 90 deg                                                |
|   Strength: 10%                                                         |
|                                                                         |
|   BEFORE (linear hue distribution):                                    |
|   ================================                                      |
|                                                                         |
|   Hue:   0     40     90    130    170    220    280    360            |
|          |     |      |     |      |      |      |      |              |
|          +-----+------+-----+------+------+------+------+              |
|          |OUTSIDE     | INSIDE ZONE       |  OUTSIDE    |              |
|          |            |<---- center ---->|              |              |
|                                                                         |
|   Caustic zone: 40 to 220 degrees (130 +/- 90)                         |
|                                                                         |
|   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────    |
|                                                                         |
|   AFTER (10% compression applied):                                     |
|   =================================                                     |
|                                                                         |
|   Hue:   0    45     95    130    165    215    285    360             |
|          |    |      |     |      |      |      |      |               |
|          +----+------+-----+------+------+------+------+               |
|          |EXPANDED   | COMPRESSED        | EXPANDED    |               |
|          ^           ^                   ^             ^               |
|          |           |                   |             |               |
|          +5 deg      Zone shrunk         Zone shrunk   +5 deg          |
|          (expanded)  by 10%              by 10%        (expanded)      |
|                                                                         |
|   What happened:                                                       |
|   - Colors at 40 deg moved to 45 deg (expanded away from zone)         |
|   - Colors at 90 deg moved to 95 deg (compressed toward center)        |
|   - Colors at 170 deg moved to 165 deg (compressed toward center)      |
|   - Colors at 220 deg moved to 215 deg (edge of zone, slight shift)    |
|   - Colors at 280 deg moved to 285 deg (expanded away from zone)       |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
Theme Configuration

Different themes use different Einstein Arc settings. 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    THEME CONFIGURATIONS                                 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|   | Theme          | Offset | Width  | Strength | Effect         |    |
|   +----------------+--------+--------+----------+----------------+    |
|   | monolex-night  | 60 deg | 90 deg |    10%   | Subtle green   |    |
|   |                |        |        |          | compression    |    |
|   +----------------+--------+--------+----------+----------------+    |
|   | monolex-forest | 60 deg | 130deg |    10%   | Wide zone      |    |
|   |                |        |        |          | (green theme)  |    |
|   +----------------+--------+--------+----------+----------------+    |
|   | solarized-dark | 60 deg | 60 deg |    10%   | Narrow, minimal|    |
|   |                |        |        |          | effect         |    |
|   +----------------+--------+--------+----------+----------------+    |
|   | dracula        |   -    |   -    |     0%   | No caustic     |    |
|   |                |        |        |          | (pure colors)  |    |
|   +---------------------------------------------------------------+    |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
The Physics Metaphor Summary

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    PHYSICS --> COLOR MAPPING                            |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                         |
|   GRAVITATIONAL LENSING              EINSTEIN ARC                       |
|   ======================             ============                       |
|                                                                         |
|   Massive object            -->      Theme anchor hue                   |
|   (star, black hole)                 (your theme's main color)          |
|                                                                         |
|   Light rays                -->      Color hue angles                   |
|   (from distant stars)               (from terminal output)             |
|                                                                         |
|   Light bending             -->      Hue redistribution                 |
|   (curved spacetime)                 (colors shift around anchor)       |
|                                                                         |
|   Caustic                   -->      Caustic zone                       |
|   (where light converges)            (complementary color region)       |
|                                                                         |
|   Einstein Arc              -->      The curved path colors take        |
|   (visible arc of light)             (hue compression pattern)          |
|                                                                         |
|   Frame Drag                -->      Tint blending                      |
|   (space pulled by rotation)         (colors pulled toward tint)        |
|                                                                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

​
Key Takeaways

  1. Colors bend like light - Your theme’s anchor acts like a massive object, bending colors around it
  2. Caustic zone gets special treatment - Complementary colors are compressed or gradient-filled
  3. Mode 2 is best - Combines polar compression (outside) with OKLAB gradients (inside)
  4. OKLAB prevents muddy colors - Straight-line interpolation maintains saturation
  5. Physics metaphors make it intuitive - Einstein Arc, Caustic, Frame Drag all describe real color behaviors

Visual Flow

See the complete transformation flow