{"id":2572,"date":"2006-05-04T13:02:24","date_gmt":"2006-05-04T13:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.puerilis.co.uk\/?p=715"},"modified":"2006-05-04T13:02:24","modified_gmt":"2006-05-04T13:02:24","slug":"cloaking-device-idea-proposed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.puerilis.co.uk\/?p=2572","title":{"rendered":"‘Cloaking device’ idea proposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to this article<\/a> on the BBC
\nwebsite, cloaking devices that are used to render
\nspacecraft invisible in Star Trek might just work in reality, two
\nmathematicians have claimed.<\/p>\n

They have outlined their concept in a research paper published in one
\nof the UK Royal Society’s scientific journals.
\nNicolae Nicorovici and Graeme Milton propose that placing certain
\nobjects close to a material called a superlens could make them appear
\nto vanish.
\nIt would rely on an effect known as “anomalous localised resonance”.
\nHowever, the authors have so far only done the maths to verify that the
\nconcept could work. Building such a device would undoubtedly pose a
\nsignificant challenge. <\/p>\n

Starting small
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloaking devices are a form of stealth technology much favoured by Star
\nTrek baddies such as the Romulans and Klingons.
\nThe complex mathematical phenomenon outlined by Milton and Nicorovici
\ncloses the gap a little between science fiction and fact.
\nThe phenomenon is analogous to a tuning fork (which rings with a single
\nsound frequency) being placed next to a wine glass. The wine glass will
\nstart to ring with the same frequency; it resonates.
\nThe cloaking effect would exploit a resonance with light waves rather
\nthan sound waves.
\nThe concept is at such a primitive stage that the scientists talk only
\nat the moment of being able to cloak particles of dust – not
\nspaceships.
\nIn this example, an illuminated speck of dust would scatter light at
\nfrequencies that induce a strong, finely tuned resonance in a cloaking
\nmaterial placed very close by.
\nThe resonance effectively cancels out the light bouncing off the speck
\nof dust, rendering the dust particle invisible.
\nOne way to construct a cloaking device is to use a superlens, made of
\nrecently discovered materials that force light to behave in unusual
\nways.<\/p>\n

Vanishing point
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Sir John Pendry, of Imperial College London, who helped
\npioneer superlenses, said: “If the speck of dust is close enough it
\ninduces a very aggressive response in the cloaking material which
\nessentially acts back on the speck of dust and forces it to stop
\nshining.
\n“Even though light is hitting the speck of dust, scattering of the
\nlight is prevented by the cloak which is in close proximity,” he told
\nthe BBC News website.
\nThe authors of the paper argue that the cloak needn’t just work with a
\nspeck of dust, but could also apply to larger objects.
\nBut they admit the cloaking effect works only at certain frequencies of
\nlight, so that some objects placed near the cloak might only partially
\ndisappear.
\n“I believe their claims about the speck of dust and a certain class of
\nobjects. In the paper, they do give an instance about a particular
\nshape of material they can’t cloak. So they can’t cloak everything,”
\nsaid Professor Pendry.
\n“Nevertheless, it’s a very neat idea to get this aggressive response
\nfrom the material to stop tiny things emitting light.”
\nThe Imperial College physicist agreed this particular concept had
\npotential military uses: “Providing the specks of dust are within the
\ncloaked area, the effect will happen. A cloak that only fits one
\nparticular set of circumstances is very restrictive – you can’t
\nredesign the furniture without redesigning the cloak.”
\nDetails are published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A:
\nMathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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