An innovative technology that can make light "bend"

A research team from the University of Glasgow in the UK drew inspiration from the phenomenon of clouds scattering sunlight and developed an innovative technology that can effectively guide or even "bend" light. This technology is expected to achieve significant breakthroughs in fields such as medical imaging, cooling systems, and even nuclear reactors. The relevant research results were published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Physics under the title "Energy Transport in Diffuse Waveguides".

The research team pointed out that clouds, snow, and other white materials have similar effects on light: when photons shine on the surface of these objects, they are almost unable to penetrate and scatter in all directions. For example, when sunlight shines on cumulonimbus clouds, the light will reflect from the top of the cloud, making this part of the cloud appear bright and white; However, there is very little light reaching the bottom of the cloud, resulting in a dark color at the bottom of the cloud.

In order to simulate this natural phenomenon, the research team used opaque white materials and 3D printing technology to manufacture a new type of material, and constructed some small tunnels inside the material. When light shines on this material, it enters these tunnels and scatters. However, unlike scattering in nature, photons do not randomly scatter in all directions, but are guided back into the tunnel by opaque materials. Through this method, they successfully created a series of materials that can guide light in an orderly manner.

Compared with traditional solid materials, this new material increases the transmittance of light by more than two orders of magnitude and enables light to propagate in curved paths. Although this material cannot achieve long-distance transmission like optical fibers, its method is simple and cost-effective, with significant advantages.

The research team emphasizes that this technique of bending light can utilize existing semi transparent structures, such as tendons and fluids within the spine, to open up new avenues for medical imaging. The new technology can also be used to guide heat and neutrons, suitable for multiple engineering fields such as cooling systems and nuclear reactors.

Source: Yangtze River Delta Laser Alliance