Scientists Unveil New Invisibility Cloak Using Gold

October 3, 2007 5:17 p.m. EST

Baltimore, MD (AHN) - University of Maryland researchers have created a an invisibility cloak, bending light the way a river rock bends running water. The advance could enable next-generation computer chips or future fiber optics.

However, the team of scientists downplay their discovery, pointing out the invisibility is limited to a 10 micrometer area and practical only in two dimensions.

Headed by the University's Igor Smolyanikov, the researchers were able to use gold rings to redirect light waves around an object, causing it to seem invisible.

Researchers felt it would be years before scientists came upon the solution for visible light. A cloak operating in the microwave area was developed in 2006 by U.S. and British scientists.

Although a three-dimensional invisibility cloak is still only a concept, the Maryland research team believes their breakthrough could help develop new computer chips or make current fiber optics obsolete.