Invisible Cloak Closer To Reality
Invisible Cloak
Scientists in the US say they are a step closer to developing materials that could render people invisible.
Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley have developed a material that can bend light around 3D objects making them "disappear".
The materials do not occur naturally but have been created on a nano scale, measured in billionths of a metre.
One day the principles could be scaled up to make invisibility cloaks large enough to hide people, according to the research, published in the journals Nature and Science.
Light is neither absorbed nor reflected by the object using the new system, so it passes "like water flowing around a rock," according to the researchers. As a result, a person only sees the light from behind the object, rendering it invisible.
The new material has "negative refractive" properties. It has a multi-layered "fishnet" structure which is transparent over a wide range of light wavelengths.
One approach used nanometre-scale stacks of silver and magnesium fluoride in a "fishnet" structure, while another made use of nanowires made of silver.
"This is a huge step forward, a tremendous achievement," says Professor Ortwin Hess of the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey.
"It's a careful choice of the right materials and the right structuring to get this effect for the first time at these wavelengths."
There could be more immediate applications for the devices in telecommunications. They could be used to make better microscopes, allowing images of far smaller objects than conventional microscopes can see.
Applying the technology on a larger scale could pave the way to a real-life Harry Potter-style "invisibility cloak" capable of hiding a person.
"In order to have the 'Harry Potter' effect, you just need to find the right materials for the visible wavelengths," says Prof Hess, "and it's absolutely thrilling to see we're on the right track."
The research, funded by the US government, could one day be used in military stealth operations - with tanks made to disappear from the enemies' sight.
Have your say...
Be the first to leave your comment.
Send To A Friend
Printer Friendly
Add Page To Favorites
Green Issues With Michael Wale
Some British Birds In Danger
Michael Wale talks with an academic who has spent a year and a half identifying which British birds could be endanger in the future.
Spotlight
Meet 50connect's Columnists
From relationship advice to environmental issues; life as an ex-pat living in France and the highs and lows of going back to study; read the latest from our regular contributors.
Bookmark with:
Don’t know what this is?
Read the 50connect Guide To Social Bookmarking.