Bending Light Backwards - how did I miss this before???

[SagaLore]

Just some random science searches, and I came across this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/science/12ligh.html

In the Nature paper, the Berkeley researchers created a fishnet structure with 21 layers, alternating between a metal and magnesium fluoride, resulting in a metamaterial with a negative index of refraction for infrared light. The researchers said by making the fishnet structure even smaller, they should be able to do the same with visible light.



In the Science paper, a different group of scientists in Dr. Zhang’s laboratory used a different approach, building an array of minuscule upright wires, which changed the electric fields of passing light waves. That structure was able to bend visible red light.

This not only means potential cloaking devices, but holographics! That was in 2008, I wonder how much progress they've made...

 

[Farmer]

That's some cool shit dawg.

Technically you could do this with any/all frequencies of light, as the Maxwell equations are scale-invariant.

 

[yhelothar]

My brain just imploded from trying to understand that.
So I know index of refraction is a value that determines the speed of light traveling through a medium. So negative index of refraction would mean light would be traveling backwards. That sounds like a mirror... but it's not.. it'd still pass through the medium?

 

[h8red]

This not only means potential cloaking devices, but holographics! That was in 2008, I wonder how much progress they've made...

Ask bin Laden

 

[Born2bwire]

Just some random science searches, and I came across this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/science/12ligh.html





This not only means potential cloaking devices, but holographics! That was in 2008, I wonder how much progress they've made...

Eh... not much. I mean designing the invisibility cloak is easy. Getting broadband metamaterials in the visible light range is not so easy.

 

[BoberFett]

Ya know there are easier ways to bend light backwards.