'Antimagnet' Cloak Hides Objects From Magnetic Fields

ananyo writes "Researchers have made a cloak that can hide objects from static magnetic fields, realizing a theoretical prediction they made last year. This 'antimagnet' could have medical applications, but could also be used to subvert airport security. The cloak's interior is lined with turns of tape made from a high-temperature superconductor. Superconductors repel magnetic fields, so any magnetic field enclosed within a superconductor would be undetectable from outside. But the superconductor itself would still perturb an external magnetic field, so the researchers coated its external side with an ordinary ferromagnet. The superconductor tries to repel external field lines, whereas the ferromagnet tries to draw them in — together, the two layers cancel each other out (abstract)."

MRI

[nschubach]

If I understand correctly, they should be able to envelope something like an MRI so that you don't have to worry about metal bits carried into the room?

No problem for airport security

[marcosdumay]

Since metal detectors use electromagnetic waves (call those non-static magnetic fields if you want), instead of magnetic fields, that cloak wouldn't be a problem at all. Well, ok, it would cloak its interior, like any piece of conductor would. It would also trigger the alarm itself, like any piece of conductor.

But now, why are people so concerned about airport security anyway? The invention has no relation to it.

Submarines

[tsotha]

This could be a big deal in submarine warfare if they can get the temperature up. With the advent of AIP, navies are having to rely on second-string technologies like Magnetic Anomaly Detectors.

Re:Airport security?

[Ihmhi]

Besides, it's much easier to bypass airport security. Just be rich.

What, poor people can't get in through the rich lines? Well, a Fortune 500 CEO flying on a private jet surely has assistants, security, and other personnel, and he'll be damned if some "airport security" will hold up his tee time in Cabo!

I wonder how long it will take for someone to exploit this particular attack vector.

Not just the rich

[mcrbids]

Anybody who has their own plane pretty much does whatever they want. I've landed my plane at large airports (EG: Oakland, CA) with extensive security lines for commercial flights, and driven my car out to the plane in order to load it. The only credentials I need are the keys to a plane and maybe a driver's license.

I've landed my private plane at big airports in order to hook up with commercial flights, and it's truly absurd to land, walk in off the tarmac, be personally greeted at the private aviation side of the airport, and then take a shuttle to be treated like a potential criminal in a cattle stock yard. This affords me very little respect for the TSA.

You don't need to be a Fortune 500 CEO to have a private plane, the actual cost to own (especially for a time share aka "flight club") can be similar in cost to owning a recent model car.