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Flat Lens Could Significantly Enhance Object Resolution
Spacedaily ^
| Mar 28, 2003
| Nicolle Wahl
Posted on 03/28/2003 7:30:21 PM PST by Brett66
Flat Lens Could Significantly Enhance Object Resolution
by Nicolle Wahl
Toronto - Mar 28, 2003
By constructing artificial materials that break long-standing rules of nature, a U of T researcher has developed a flat lens that could significantly enhance the resolution of imaged objects. This, in turn, could lead to smaller and more effective antennas and devices for cell phones, increased space for data storage on CD-ROMs and more complex electronic circuits.
"This is new physics," says George Eleftheriades, a U of T professor specializing in electromagnetic technology at the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and senior author of an article in the March 24 issue of Applied Physics Letters. "These findings provide an opportunity to resolve details in an object smaller than a wavelength."
The team works in the rapidly emerging field of metamaterials -- artificially created substances with properties not found in nature. Under normal electromagnetic conditions, light passing through a flat lens will diverge; light passing through a lens made of metamaterials, however, will bend the "wrong" way and become focused.
Their study reveals that when evanescent waves -- weak but important waves that lose strength quickly after leaving their source -- are directed through their flat metamaterial lens, these waves are amplified. At the same time, the lens corrects the phase of the waves by focusing the diverging waves into a beam.
Metamaterial lenses, when constructed at optical frequencies, could be used to engineer the next generation of electronic devices at the nanometre scale, says Eleftheriades.
Nicolle Wahl is a news services officer with the department of public affairs at the University of Toronto
TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Technical
KEYWORDS: metamaterials; optics; realscience; space; techindex; technology; telescope
1
posted on
03/28/2003 7:30:21 PM PST
by
Brett66
To: Brett66
Sounds like cool stuff. But this sentence:
By constructing artificial materials that break long-standing rules of nature,
is pitiful. A science writer blithely stating that "rules of nature" had been broken. Think again sweetie.
To: *RealScience; *Space; *tech_index
Index.
3
posted on
03/28/2003 7:35:12 PM PST
by
Brett66
To: ClearCase_guy
When you attempt to break Ohm's law expect a lot of smoke.
4
posted on
03/28/2003 7:36:41 PM PST
by
Only1choice____Freedom
(Again, protestors have NO RIGHT TO BE HEARD, only a freedom to speak.)
To: ClearCase_guy
"A science writer blithely stating that "rules of nature" had been broken."
Hell, dems do that all the time. There are no absolutes. Rules are for others. We still don't know what "is" is.
5
posted on
03/28/2003 7:38:43 PM PST
by
lawdude
To: Brett66
I suppose you can't expect much from an article this short. But it doesn't even begin to give a clue concerning what these "metamaterials" are.
6
posted on
03/28/2003 7:50:36 PM PST
by
Cicero
(Marcus Tullius)
To: ClearCase_guy
A science writer blithely stating that "rules of nature" had been broken.kAcknor Sez:
No use trying to deny it has never happed... ;)
"rut yIHmey ghom Hoch." (Everyone meets tribbles)
Have you checked the *bang_list today?
7
posted on
03/28/2003 8:02:39 PM PST
by
kAcknor
To: ClearCase_guy; Cicero
Found an article with more detail. Certain behaviours of these metamaterials do seem to violate basic optical principles, Newtonian principles I think, but they do understand what's going on in terms of physics with these materials. Amazing stuff!
Unnatural optics create precise photonic lens
8
posted on
03/28/2003 8:30:27 PM PST
by
Brett66
To: ClearCase_guy
A science writer blithely stating that "rules of nature" had been broken. More like the rules that we've decided are the rules of nature have been broken. Maybe.
9
posted on
03/28/2003 8:32:15 PM PST
by
templar
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