A Step Towards an Invisibility Cloak

An anonymous reader alerts us to work out of Purdue University in Indiana, where researchers have produced a design for a method of cloaking objects of any shape and size at a single wavelength of visible light. The math for such an invisibility effect was worked out last year at Duke and in the UK, but the new work, to be published in Nature Photonics this month, is the first practical design. The lead researcher, Vladimir Shalaev, notes that even though the current design works only at a single wavelength, and so would not convey true invisibility, it could still be useful — against, for example, night-vision goggles or laser target designators. Shalaev calls the technical challenge of producing an all-wavelengths cloak "doable in principle."

In future...

[Anonymous Coward]

After mass production and commoditization, we will have invisibility T-shirts, invisibility sandals, and invisibility shorts.

Error Message

[FooAtWFU]

Never has this notice been more appropriate:

Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

Re:Invisible to lasers, anyway.

[The Orange Mage]

Well, I guess this means we now have an effective anti-shark defense system...

Happy Harry

[jcarkeys]

Harry Potter sits in the corner of the lab in his cloak snickering while the research scientists are excited to get one wavelength invisible.

Meh

[vertigoCiel]

Wake me up when you've got an "invisibility" device that'll let me sneak into the girls locker room without getting seen.

Fitness

[normuser]

As long as there is some sort of fitness standard before you can wear said garments.

Laser sharks

[unchiujar]

Oh noes, invisible sharks with lasers !!!

Re:Meh

[digitig]

Your so-called 'invisibility device' is commonly known as a $50 at a strip club.

I tried that. It didn't work. My wife still saw me :-(

Re:Meh

[NeilTheStupidHead]

If your wife works at a strip club in the first place, I don't see why she had an issue with it. :P

Re:Error Message

[aldo.gs]

Nothing for you to see in this wavelength. Please select another one.

Sadder, but wiser.

[Anonymous Coward]

A friendly note to the photonics project managers, researchers and general staff:

Don't make the same mistake I did. Learn from my experience that one should never, ever put the invisibility generator on top of the anti-gravity device.

Oh no!

[Mikachu]

It's Denton. Remember the briefing.

Don't mod me down just because you don't get it. ;)

Re:Happy Harry

[slashbob22]

You do know Harry Potter is a fictional character, right?

Which is why he is invisible in the non-fictional wavelength.

Re:In future...

[tsajeff]

Ahh yes, the Emperor's new clothing line.

Re:Meh

[Anonymous Coward]

I think I have one, I've been invisible to girls for years.

So, where is it?

[FMota91]

Nothing to see here, move along.

Roddenberry effect

[Anonymous Coward]

If it renders lasers less effective as weapons, then the natural result is development of multi-spectrum Phasers. You heard it hear folks! The cloaking device came first!

Frickin Romulans.

Re:Laser sharks

[Anonymous Coward]

-I am sorry sir, we couldnt get sharks.
-What do we have?
-Sea Bass
-Right, Are they invisible?
-Only to one wavelenght
-Oh well, that's a start.

Re:Serious Note: Foreign Students & Critical T

[Anonymous Coward]

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

fixed

Precious, my precious

[OldManAndTheC++]

According to TFA:

Leonhardt, a professor of theoretical physics, wrote a commentary piece about the Purdue paper appearing in the same issue of Nature Photonics. In the commentary, he compares the Purdue design to the Roman creation of "the first optical metamaterial," a type of glass containing nanometer-scale particles of gold. In ordinary daylight, a cup made of the glass appeared green, but then it glowed ruby when illuminated from the inside.

So basically, this will be made out of (a form of) gold, and encircle the object to be rendered invisible?

I'm betting that, in order to work, it will need to be inscribed with the phrase: Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

Re:Attn. Slashdot:

[Anonymous Coward]

that's why I responded. /. is a great site for professionals (with or without our flaws), great interviews, direct link to Intel and of course goatse I really don't understand. report abuse would be great so this shite could be deleted.

Re:Invisible to lasers, anyway.

[Hal_Porter]

The S1A1 remote controlled great white shark [newscientisttech.com] has a secondary offensive capability based on 1) rows of sharp teeth and 2) neural implant boosted hunger, all guided by a keen sense of smell. Obviously, we planned for Chinese frogmen in invisibility suits.

This is all classified info BTW, please kill yourself after reading it, unless you happen to have SPECOPS/JAWS clearance.

Re:Precious, my precious

[swillden]

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

Please tell me you looked that up.

Re:In future...

[Anonymous Coward]

They've been here for years, you just noticed?

Re:*yawn*

[BakaHoushi]

Don't worry. We have the technology to prevent such abuse. Simply place an upside down basket on a stick, and place a dollar bill under it. If a record executive or a lawyer is hidden in a corner, they won't be able to resist and the basket will fall on them.

Oblig. nethack

[frostband]

Yes, but does it have a +6 enchantment?

Re:*yawn*

[Anonymous Coward]

You're an asshole

Re:Precious, my precious

[Anonymous Coward]

I think we both know, deep down, that he didn't.