Mirror, Mirror on the Magnet

摘要

Scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, a new type of mirror that reflects infrared light by using an unusual magnetic property of a nonmetallic metamaterial. By placing nanoscale antennas at or very near the surface of magnetic mirrors, scientists proved they are able to capture and harness electromagnetic radiation in ways that offer potential in new classes of chemical sensors, solar cells, lasers and other optoelectronic devices. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories say they have achieved a new milestone in magnetic mirror technology by experimentally demonstrating the remarkable behavior of light at infrared wavelengths. The breakthrough comes from using a specially engineered, nonmetallic surface studded with nanoscale resonators. Each nanoscale, cube-shaped resonator based on the element tellurium, is considerably smaller than the width of a human hair and even tinier than the wavelengths of infrared light. These characteristics are essential to achieving magnetic-mirror behavior at incredibly short wavelengths.