Bringing Back the Magic In Metamaterials

Charliemopps writes: Though it's 30 years late, transparent aluminum, as predicted in the 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, may finally be here. There have been many attempts to create transparent metals in the past few years, and some have been somewhat successful, if only for a few femtoseconds. But now, by modifying metals like silver and aluminum at the subwavelength scale, researchers are developing "Meta-Materials" that cause light to interact with these metals in new and interesting ways. One of their more promising goals is to create a "perfect lens" which would allow an everyday person to view things as small as a virus with the naked eye.

Comments

Sapphire

[chuckugly]

If only we could mix a little of a common element, like say oxygen, with the aluminum, and grow transparent, super hard crystals.

Re:Sapphire

[Sowelu]

Crikey, we've discovered a rare Bing user in the wild! What a marvel!

What?

[ArcadeMan]

One of their more promising goals is to create a "perfect lens" which would allow an every day person to view things as small as a virus with the naked eye.

What do you mean? You guys can't see viruses with the naked eye?

Re:Illumination wavelength

[Zaelath]

Not to mention; how naked is the eye with a lens over it?

Wait... do you mean I'm NAKED under all these CLOTHES???!