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Quantum Cloaking Makes Molecules Invisible
KentuckyFC writes "An international team of physicists has applied the ideas of cloaking to the quantum world and worked out how to hide quantum objects such as molecules. In the quantum world, seeing is equivalent to detecting a quantum object. In the case of molecules, that means looking for the terahertz radiation they produce when they vibrate (abstract). By designing a 'quantum corral,' an elliptical nanostructures that absorbs terahertz waves at a precise frequency, the team says it is possible to hide molecules that emit at exactly that frequency. They say their quantum corral would be ideally suited to detecting molecules of specific species while ignoring others. And that may mean a new generation of molecular detectors on the horizon."
By designing a 'quantum corral,' an elliptical nanostructures that absorbs terahertz waves at a precise frequency
Sounds sort of like how the human ear works.
Last week they announced the first laser cannon, now we're working on the base technology for tricorders? Maybe startrek IS an accurate timeline.
The theoreticians seem have thrown down a considerable challenge here. Designing and building will likely be very different things. Makes most of the stuff fabricated so far seem almost macro-scale.
Isn't it a bit naughty to include star-trek tags on a real-science piece (even if it IS distinctly theoretical)?
I just thought they were able to distinguish cat molecules from dog molecules, or something.
"By designing a 'quantum corral,' an elliptical nanostructures that absorbs terahertz waves at a precise frequency, the team says it is possible to hide molecules that emit at exactly that frequency."
-No shit. You can hide objects by thowing something that absorbs the radiation emitted by them. I can hide an LED by keeping it in my shed, with the shed's construction material absorbing the light and heat emitted by the LED.
Basically, the nanostructure they built is nothing more than a filter that filters out terahertz wavelengths, like a red colored filter blocks out wavelengths in that frequency range.
Not a "breakthrough" by any means, but interesting in that they developed a substance that can filter out terahertz wavelengths.
Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
I know almost nothing about quantum mechanics, so correct me if I'm wrong. On this scale, isn't observation interaction? Would preventing observation also prevent interaction with what is inside the cloak? How would the cloak behave if you tried to detect what's in it with a laser (or something)?
Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
is the engineering. I recently attended a talk where the speaker presented a theoretical way to completely cloak a large object (i.e. person, car, etc.). It was possible to completely prevent detection within a reasonable range of the visible spectrum. (I don't think it's been published yet, or I'd post a link.) The assumption was that the object was surrounded by a material in which you had complete control of the metric space properties, i.e. the propagation coefficient of light at each point. Now there's a challenge for the engineers...
Does having a witty signature really indicate normality?
TFA: "First what does it mean to see or not see a quantum object? Fransson and co say that seeing is equivalent to detecting quantum objects and in the case of molecules that means looking for the terahertz radiation they produced when they vibrate.
"We propose a method for detecting and manipulating quantum invisibility based on THz cloaking of molecular identity in coherent nanostructures," says Fransson and buddies.
In practice, this means designing quantum corals, elliptical nanostructures, that absorb terahertz waves of specific frequencies. When a molecule that emits this frequency is placed at the focus, it cannot be spotted. It is essentially invisible.
Useful? You bet. Such a quantum coral would be ideally suited to detecting molecules of specific species while ignoring others. For example, if you have a particular molecular species that poisons your measurements, then what you need is a cloak that will make it invisible to your detectors
It's ideas like this that are going to make cloaking mighty useful one of these days.
Ref: arxiv.org/abs/0811.1782: Quantum Detection and Invisibility in Coherent Nanostructures"
Right now they are talking 'invisible to terahertz radiation detecters they currently use, and this would be useful.
As often happens, the summary is not real clear. This is not meant to be a 'cloak of invisibility'(D&D/RPG style), nor a 'cloaking device'(Romulan style) device, just (initially) a means to 'clean up' some lab tests.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
In practice, this means designing quantum corals, elliptical nanostructures, that absorb terahertz waves of specific frequencies. [...] Such a quantum coral...
If you had enough quantum corals, could you build a quantum reef?
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