‘Plasmonic Metamaterials’ May Advance Optical Cloaking
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 25, 2011 — Researchers are developing a new class of "plasmonic metamaterials" as potential building blocks for advanced optical technologies, including ultrapowerful microscopes and computers, improved solar cells, and a possible invisibility cloak.
The new materials could make possible "nanophotonic" devices for numerous applications, said Alexandra Boltasseva, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University.
Unlike natural materials, metamaterials may...