How many times have we wished for the invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter? How many times have you wished there was a way to make yourself invisible? Well, the wait is over. An invisibility cloak will soon be a reality. Researchers from the Technical University of Vienna have developed a beam of invisibility to make an object invisible.
The reason certain materials are opaque and some others are transparent is because light gets scattered within the opaque material, but passes through the transparent material. Traditionally researchers have been trying to come up with ways to guide the light waves around the object, thus giving the impression that the object is invisible. But the researchers in Vienna came up with a method to guide the light ways through the object, instead of around it. This is possible using a special material and a new wave technology.
A laser beam is shone onto the cloak from above. This makes the material energized and in the process, alters the properties of the material, thus allowing light of other wavelengths to pass through the material. The pattern of the wave with which the material is illuminated is different for different materials. This implies that first, the correct pattern for each material needs to be identified before radiating it with the wave.
The idea right now is in theoretical stages and the plan is to test it with sound waves first before moving onto light waves. If this experiment becomes successful, it has a wide range of applications and will be one of the most innovative inventions of our time.