An exotic photonic device whose characteristic effects are so tiny that only qualitative, rather than the more usual quantitative, descriptions are applicable has been created by scientists at three prominent American educational institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Universities of California Davis and Los Angeles, and Cornell University.1 The specially made device was fabricated using a custom-designed molecular process.
Two metal types
Called a condensed photonic mesh, the device is formed from a combination of both base and noble metals; the effects of the catalytic fabrication technique newly invented by the researchers to assemble the mesh's tiny components render such a structure's usual electronic processes, such as semi- and superconductivity, moot.
The mechanism behind the device's unusual characteristics is a structural instability known as evolved decomposition. Operating in regions near the core of the mesh, this method of decomposition ensures that natural processes are simultaneously accelerated and impeded—the key to the reduction in scale of the mesh's interaction with the ambient environment.
The researchers hope to commercialize the device after experimentally defining its properties in more detail.
For more info, see: http://www.inst-div-modest-achievement.edu/four-times-smaller
REFERENCE:
1. R. Valligerle et al., Tiny, 1 April 2015; doi: 3.1415/4-1-bmbzl/TINY.2015.4
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.