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Breakthrough device represents major improvement over past efforts

via DailyTech – Scientists Simplify Cloaking Tech, Can Cloak Bigger Objects.

Cloaking science or “transformation optics” as its more formally called has until now relied on exotic “metamaterials” to redirect light.  However, a breakthrough from Purdue University has created a “tapered optical waveguide” that accomplishes the same behavior at a lower cost and without using exotic compounds.

The new cloak is not only cheaper, it also performs better — it can cloak an area of up to 100 times the wavelengths of a laser, while previous designs only managed a few times the wavelengths.  Additionally, where metamaterials could only cloak part of the spectrum, this design can cloak light from a variety of wavelengths.