back to article Boffins one step closer to invisible shed

Invisibility-investigating boffins have managed for the first time to cloak a three-dimensional object in free space – but only from microwaves. Credit: D Rainwater et al 2012 New Journal of Physics (click to enlarge) Rather than bending light around the object, an 18cm cylindrical tube, the researchers used "plasmonic …

COMMENTS

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  1. Simon Harris
    Joke

    I think Orange got there first...

    My phone seems to be invisible to their microwaves half the time!

  2. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    "plasmonic cloaking"

    Didn't Spock invent that. Or maybe it was Scotty. I'm sure it was one of them - having to escape certain death before the end of a TV hour is the mother of invention.

  3. b166er
    Coat

    Does this mean that soon my wife won't be able to find me there either?

  4. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Joke

    I made an invisible shed once

    I sent MIT some photographs but they wouldn't believe me.

    1. Andy Fletcher

      Damn it

      I was going to say "pictures or it didn't happen". Guess I did it anyway.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not sure what I'm looking at here apart from a graphic of some microwaves clearly being interfered with by an object.

    Yes I did read the article, it doesn't match the provided "evidence" and no explanation is offered.

    So what's the point?

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
      Happy

      I agree, the article was light on details. However, the tone of the headline would suggest that the concept has been covered before in The Reg.

      To answer your question, the point is to keep Reg readers up to date with small progressions in an ongoing area of research. It is fairly clear that the important word in the article is "metamaterials".

      I would recommend to everyone have a glance at the Wikepedia article that results from searching for the above word- some interesting concepts to muddle the brain with!

      Making an invisible shed is but one of many potential (hopefully maybe!) applications across a broad range of disciplines.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Dave 126

        Will do, thanks.

    2. Steve Knox
      Boffin

      Take a closer look at the graphic.

      The third column is free-space -- i.e, the object isn't there to interfere. The interference you see in that column is likely from the mounting framework for the object. Now compare row 2 (3.1GHz) columns 2 (cloaked) and 3 (free-space). What's the difference?

  6. Disintegrationnotallowed

    at 3.1ghz and cloaked

    You can see that the wave pattern shows no interference, I presume that is the point. Because there is no visible change in the wave pattern, the object is effectively invisible.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It looks pretty interfered with to me and obviously so.

  7. Anonymous John

    some plasmonic materials are naturally available at optical frequencies.

    My windows are made of it. I'm just waiting for someone to invent curtains.

  8. Andrew Newstead

    Steath techniques...

    Interesting that this stuff is slap bang in the RADAR frequencies, are we seeing a "civilianisation" of somthing already developed for the US militiary (B2 paint anyone?)?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      in a short answer... no.

      In a longer answer, not quite, no, the principles between how the two operate are completely different. The B2 paint minimises the radar footprint of the plane, it works by being highly absorbing to "radar" frequencies, as radar detection of objects relies on receiving reflected "radar" waves from objects it kind-of hides the planes. I say kind of because it's not perfect, and if a receiver was placed in line of sight of the "radar" source and the plane flew between there would be a massive gap in the received spectrum. A "meta-material cloak" designed to work at radar frequencies would make it seem like the object was completely transparent to "radar", no back reflected waves, and no distortion to the received signal in a line of sight system.

      1. Dave Bell

        What's the frequency of the cosmic microwave background? Wouldn't they have to cope with that?

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @Joe

      Thank you.

  10. David Robinson 1
    Coat

    Shirley...

    ...an invisible shed is a greenhouse?

  11. adnim
    Joke

    Mmmmm

    "Boffins one step closer to invisible shed"

    Best be careful where they tread then, that next step could result in a bump on the noggin.

  12. Oninoshiko

    Wonderful

    now we can stop arguing over what colour to paint it.

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