Researchers Create an Ultrathin Invisibility Cloak

AUSTIN, Texas — Until now, the invisibility cloaks put forward by scientists have been bulky devices - an obvious flaw for those interested in Harry Potter-style applications. However, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a cloak that is just micrometers thick and can hide three-dimensional objects from microwaves in their natural environment, in all directions and from all of the observers' positions. Presenting their study today, March 26, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics , the researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering 's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have used a new, ultrathin layer called a "metascreen." The metascreen cloak was made by attaching thin strips of copper tape to a flexible polycarbonate film, which is a fraction of a millimeter thick, in a fishnet design. It was used to cloak an 18 cm cylindrical rod from microwaves and showed optimal functionality when the microwaves were at a frequency of 3. GHz and over a moderately broad bandwidth. The researchers also predict that because of the inherent conformability of the metascreen and the robustness of the proposed cloaking technique, oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects can be cloaked with the same principles. Objects are detected when waves - whether they are sound, light, X-rays or microwaves - rebound off their surfaces.