We can bend light around corners. I know it sounds crazy, and it looks crazy when you see it in action for the first time. But, the advancements that this new technique could help usher in are revolutionary, to say the least.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow spearheaded the discovery of the new technique. Daniele Faccio and his colleagues write in a new study that they noticed a new type of light scattering that they hadn’t seen before and decided to try to recreate it using man-made materials.
Light scattering seems to be the key to being able to bend light around corners, too. Much like the way that snow, clouds, and other white materials absorb light and then scatter it in different directions—essentially sending it reflecting out the way it came in—researchers have found a way to replicate that process.
To do so, they created several 3D-printed objects made out of an opaque white material. Within the material they left tunnels of clear resin, just thin enough for light to travel through them. So, when light is shone into the material, it travels through the tunnels and then scatters, just like it would with a cloud.
However, unlike a cloud, the researchers are able to bend light around corners and scatter it in specific directions thanks to the tunnels they’ve created. Considering the different ways scientists have been experimenting with light—even using light to kill cancer at one point—having new ways to control it could benefit many different fields.
The entire design here is very similar to how we use fiber optic cables to route light along their path. However, it also operates on a completely different principle, in that fiber optic cables reflect the light internally, while these materials instead bring it in through the tunnels and scatter it without all the fancy footwork that fiber optic cables involve.
It’s less efficient at bending light and carrying it long distances when compared directly to fiber optic. However, it will be much cheaper and simpler to manufacture, which could cause a boom for other industries, especially the medical industry.
