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Carbon Nanotube Antenna for Light

Posted by timothy on from the trying-to-imagine dept.

Suidae writes "Researchers at Boston College are reporting that carbon nanotubes can be used to build an antenna that receives optical wavelengths in much the same way a radio antenna receives longer wavelengths. The electrical effects can not yet be directly measured as diodes that operate at optical frequencies would be required, but secondary radiation from the excitation can be observed. Potential applications include fiber optic data transmission and photovoltaics."

1 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting by Undefined+Parameter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If the whole "petroleum companies keep their monopoly by buying viable competing technologies" thing is true (and I'm not saying that it is / is not), it's fairly clever that the inventor is disguising it as a new form of antenna. The only problem would be that it'd have to be LoS, which means that closing the curtains to watch TV with the antenna laying on top of the set would no longer be a possibility.

    However, as a method of attaining electrical energy from light, it looks to be rather interesting.

    ~UP

    --
    Eat the Path.