Physicists Close in on 'Superlens'

An anonymous reader writes "In Oregon, physicists have developed a material for creating a real superlens that in theory could attain a one-nanometer visual resolution. The idea is to use exotic materials to create "negative" refraction of light, which literally means steering it in the opposite direction of that found in the natural world."

in other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

Anonymous Cowards close in on 'First Post!'

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Obligatory

[Anonymous Coward]

In a conventional lens, light gets bent

In Soviet Russia, light bend YOU!

How would that look?

[Anonymous Coward]

So, if you would fill a pool with a fluid with negative refraction, and then would go swimming, how would that look to someone ouside the pool? (Beside funny and quite stupid ...)

Major advance possible.

[Belseth]

In Oregon, physicists have developed a material for creating a real superlens that in theory could attain a one-nanometer visual resolution.

Finally there'll be a way to read all the fine print in service contracts!

As a Lisp programmer

[boomgopher]

As a Lisp programmer, I chuckle at the artificial distinction between light, lenses, and refraction.

I'm a Physics God

[TheoMurpse]

The idea is to use exotic materials to create "negative" refraction of light, which literally means steering it in the opposite direction of that found in the natural world.

I have one of those! I call it a *hand quotes* mirror *hand quotes*.

Damn

[EBFoxbat]

I just lost my 13.2 tb negative refraction DVD. Man, it was such a good Windows rebuild. Seriously though, this could be a spiffy application to optical drives... errr negative optical drives.

Re:E=MC^2, yo.

[kfg]

feynmann explained this clearly in the (first volume?) of his lectures, i imagine everybody here has read them...

Dude, most people here don't even read TFAs.

KFG

Re:So what is this non-natural world?

[Chrispy1000000 the 2]

I prefer waiting for an organism that evolves such that it's waste product is an Ferrari.

New L series lens in the works?

[reub2000]

So could we be seeing a new Canon L series lens being made with these?

Re:So what is this non-natural world?

[kfg]

That's what I said. :)

KFG

Re:These would be nice!

[theglassishalf]

Large molecule on molecule action? Man, and I thought I had seen all the fetishes.

-Daniel

Re:mirror

[cablepokerface]

mirror

no, a lens! RTFA!

Hyperbole Anyone?

[E++99]

"...an extraordinary optical device that would bend light the opposite direction of that done by any natural material"

"...literally means steering it in the opposite direction of that found in the natural world."

The article makes it abundantly clear that this is not a natural device, but a supernatural device. They are therefore inconsistent in calling these clever people scientists, when they are clealy witch-doctors or magicians (in the Old Testament sense, not in the David Copperfield sense).