Scientists claim to have invented a mirror that uses nanoscale technology to create new effects.
According to the Optical Society’s journal Optica, the boffins demonstrated a mirror that abandons a shiny surface but reflects infrared light by using a magnetic property of a non metallic “metamaterial”.
The scientis place nanoscale antennae at the surface of the magnetic mirrors and that allows the capture of electromagnetic radiation that will open up new types of chemical sensors, solar cells, lasers and other devices.
Michael Sinclair, a scientist at Sandia National Labs said: “Our breakthrough comes from using a specially engineered, non metallic surface studded with nanoscale resonators.”
The scientists are developing metamaterials whic are substances engineered with certain properties.
The magnetic mirror uses a two dimensonal array of dioelectric resonators using tellurium. That means the design is more reflective at infrared wavelengths.
