Metamaterial with hyperbolic dispersion is 51 µm thick
(Laser Focus World) Rather than trying to make a 3-D metamaterial using difficult and expensive nanolithographic techniques, researchers at Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) and Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) have been working on a much simpler approach that now has allowed them to create an optical metamaterial 51 µm thick.
Laser Focus World
June 1, 2009
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/display_article/363446/12/none/none/NBrea/Metamaterial-with-hyperbolic-dispersion-is-51-%C2%B5m-thick
While the idea of a metamaterial-based invisibility cloak is fascinating, transforming the idea into reality is a daunting task. This is especially true at optical frequencies, where the required metamaterial structures have geometries with features sized at the nanometer scale. Making an invisibility cloak, or indeed many other devices made possible by metamaterials, requires the construction of a bulk (3-D) metamaterial, as opposed to a thin-film (2-D) version. Rather than trying to make a 3-D metamaterial using difficult and expensive nanolithographic techniques, researchers at Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) and Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) have been working on a much simpler approach that now has allowed them to create an optical metamaterial 51 µm thick.
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