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First Black Hole For Light Created On Earth

An anonymous reader writes "An electromagnetic 'black hole' that sucks in surrounding light has been built for the first time. The device, which works at microwave frequencies, may soon be extended to trap visible light, leading to an entirely new way of harvesting solar energy to generate electricity. A theoretical design for a table-top black hole to trap light was proposed in a paper published earlier this year by Evgenii Narimanov and Alexander Kildishev of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Their idea was to mimic the properties of a cosmological black hole, whose intense gravity bends the surrounding space-time, causing any nearby matter or radiation to follow the warped space-time and spiral inwards."

27 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Gotta say ... by ScaledLizard · · Score: 5, Funny

    That sucks ...

  2. Re:uhhh... how much energy does it take? by FTWinston · · Score: 4, Funny

    How much energy does it "take?" Its a metamaterial structure, and the refractive properties are caused by its shape alone.

    That said, all that incident EM radiation is gonna really heat it up ... so if you were going to put a solar panel in the middle, as the article describes, then it will likely require cooling if its placed in bright conditions.

    Unless they're very clever with creating it, such that only wavelengths usable by the solar panel are refracted into the centre. Anyway, if they think they can do that by the end of 2009, can they make me a man-sized invisible hamsterball? Invisible zorbing would be an interesting experience.

  3. Re:uhhh... how much energy does it take? by Thanshin · · Score: 3, Funny

    can they make me a man-sized invisible hamsterball? Invisible zorbing would be an interesting experience.

    Actually it would be a black hamsterball.

    And if that's the objective for 2009, it's quite easier to achieve by simply painting it black. Anyway, you'll just end up with a pretty pissed off hamster.

  4. Re:First priority. by TheOriginalLimey · · Score: 1, Funny

    Now is only the could work in Cold Fusion and Death Panels.

  5. Re:First priority. by ms1234 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They could call it a brown hole?

  6. Re:Shouldn't we give the Cui and Cheng more credit by PeterM+from+Berkeley · · Score: 4, Funny

    Interesting culture you've got there. Where I work the theorists/computational groups find the experimentalists indispensible and vice versa. The experimentalists provide the grounding in reality and provide the final fruition of all the theory/computer work. The theory+computation guides the experiments and increases the odds that the experiments'll work the first time out. Everyone's better off, and everyone knows it, with the exception of just one guy who's generally hard to deal with anyway (even the other experimentalists don't get on with him.)

    --PM

  7. Re:It was nice to have known you guys by CODiNE · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't worry, the universe itself will travel back and time and prevent it. Think about it... Mr. Universe... time travel. It's Arnold. He's the one stopping the LHC.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  8. Re:First priority. by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 5, Funny

    They need to stop calling it a black hole or the ignorant masses will decide it's going to end the world.

    In the current uber-politically correct climate, they're more likely to lose their funding after being accused of racism.

  9. Re:First priority. by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    As long as the dolphins are still here, we're safe.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  10. Black Hole for Light by Neutral_Observer · · Score: 2, Funny

    The first Black Hole invented by man is called Government.

    1. Re:Black Hole for Light by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      That is a very racist way to refer to President Obama.

  11. Re:Wow by HeLLFiRe1151 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Where can I see it?

    --
    I've got 101 mod points and you can't have them!
  12. Re:First priority. by hitnrunrambler · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now is only the could work in Cold Fusion and Death Panels!

    Now is only the could work in sentence structure!

    Apologies if you made this post without the aid of caffeine... or if you're quoting verbatim from Palin's blog (which I kinda doubted at first since it uses the words "cold fusion" but that COULD be some obscure Alaskan sexual practise)

  13. Don't bother RTFA... by PinkyDead · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's nothing to see.

    Ha! I crack myself up.

    --
    Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
  14. Re:First priority. by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Funny

    Call it cold fusion.
    Say it harnesses zero-point energy.
    Put porn in their research.

  15. Re:First priority. by sleeponthemic · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they stop it's still an elephant in the room. Since this is never going to go away, I think I side with the idea of continual misuse of this term, thus encouraging a public view more akin to the boy who cried wolf. Once we get there, we can actually make the black hole that destroys earth, in peace.

    --
    I record my sleeptalking
  16. Re:Wow by Rip+Dick · · Score: 3, Funny

    It certainly works where your mom is concerned.

  17. Re:Hello darkness by oldspewey · · Score: 3, Funny

    and she's buying the stairway to heaven ...

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  18. Re:First priority. by omnichad · · Score: 2, Funny

    The LHC was just waiting for the right time... ;-)

  19. Re:First priority. by MadKeithV · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or the Lightmaid.
    Just don't flick the switch from "suck" to "blow".

  20. Cold fusion is a reality! by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now is only the could work in Cold Fusion and Death Panels!

    Cold fusion is what happens when two ice cubes stick together.

  21. Re:Actually it doesn't by Jstlook · · Score: 3, Funny

    Let me be the first to agree or disagree.

    --
    ---jstlook ---For that is the way of Elves, for they say both yes AND no, and mean every word of it. --- J.R.R.T.
  22. Re:First priority. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thought it was haiku
    Too many syllables though
    So I guess it's not

  23. Re:Military Application? by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are we looking at the next generation of stealth technology?

    If you're looking at it wouldn't it be the last generation stealth technology ?

    --
    If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
  24. Re:Wow by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, if you'd just pull your head out of your ...

    Oh. Never mind. Keep looking.

    --
    Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
  25. Re:Very obvious civilian application by lewiscr · · Score: 4, Funny

    If none of the radar bounces come back, you must be moving away at at the speed of light. Definitely over the limit.

  26. Re:First priority. by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Funny

    As long as they haven't figured out the brown note, we're all safe