Japanese researchers invent completely transparent material

In a breakthrough that could benefit fields as diverse as networking, photography, astronomy, and peeping, science-types at Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research have unveiled their prototype of a glass-like material that they claim to be 100% transparent. Unlike normal glass, which reflects some of the incoming light, the new so-called metamaterial --composed of a grid of gold or silver nanocoils embedded in a prism-shaped, glass-like material -- uses its unique structural properties to achieve a negative refractive index, or complete transparency. Although currently just a one-off proof-of-concept (pictured, under an electron microscope), mass-produced versions of the new material could improve fiber optic communications, contribute to better telescopes and cameras, or lead to the development of completely new optical equipment.

[Cabrewolf @ May 2nd 2006 10:44PM]

It's odd that this is a big deal, it has been around for some time. I have seen it in a lab. It is not actually invisible to the eye, it is wavelength sensitive, so it only has the negative refraction value for one wavelength (and it is not a visible wavelength). Keep in mind that it actually is visible even in its set wavelength because it has a negative refraction value; only when paired with an equal positive wavelength value does it become invisible at that wavelength.

[travis @ May 2nd 2006 10:58PM]

actually, on the point of new optical equipment, I could definitly see this as being the material that future higher-quality IOLs (inner ocular lenses). The completely transparent quality that the "glass" posseses would further resemble a natural lense, or actaully make it better

[Perrey Z. @ May 2nd 2006 11:08PM]

I won't believe it until i see it.

[Foof @ May 2nd 2006 11:23PM]

Does this mean they'll never have any pictures of it that aren't from an electron microscope?

[Juan @ May 3rd 2006 1:15AM]

Invisible to visible light, you morons, not to electrons which have a much smaller wavelength. I imagine this photograph was taken with a scanning electron microscope.

[gabe @ May 3rd 2006 3:45AM]

Here is something you can try to wrap your brain around. With a positive index of refraction the phase velocity of the light in the material is slower than in free space, but with a negative index of refraction the phase velocity is faster, so the phase velocity of light in this material may actually get to be larger than the speed of light. The reson this still works (though not actually true) is because the group velocity or the speed at which information is transfered is still slower than the speed of light. One interesting consequence of this is that you can actually make it so that your phase velocity propagates the opposite way as your information. Though it would take some work, and i can't see a real application to it other than some odd research work for some poor phd student.

[David @ May 3rd 2006 4:58AM]

Um...this is not a very big deal.

1. Metamaterials operate on electromagnetic waves with a wavelength that is much larger than the unit cell size. From the picture the unit cell is about 15 microns, so this material works at a wavelength of 100 mircrons or larger, no where near visible light, though perhaps useful for Terahertz imaging. (Terahertz is a pretty useful band for security related applications.)

2. The material they made only responds to magnetic fields in one dimension. You would need the ring structures in three oreintations to make an isotropic material. This material will reflect like crazy if you send in the wrong polarization or unpolarized waves.

3. These are not even the smallest split ring resonators every made, i.e. other groups have made smaller rings that operate closer to visible light.
http://www.cfn.uni-karlsruhe.de/web/index.php?tabId=312

4. This is a freaking press release. It is very difficult to make and verify negative index media at that length scale. I hope they did succeed.

[digitalSURGERY @ May 3rd 2006 8:03AM]

These would make cool booths or kiosks where vendors could hire sexy betelnut girls to market their products. Guys would be like, "hey let's go talk to that hot sales girl" and *WHAM* they'll hit the transparent glass. LOL. It would make it safe for sales girls to wear skimpy clothing in hostile environments. Oh but first they'd have to make it bullet-proof! =p

[Salvador Munoz @ May 3rd 2006 8:09AM]

It is a challenge to human mind to create something useful and appropiate to the enviroment

[Nick @ May 3rd 2006 1:38PM]

I'm not an opthomologist or astronomer, but wouldn't lenses created from this material help our long range visible observations of deep space?

If so, then I see where there is a market for this, otherwise Windex is going to rise up and crush this new product just to keep from going out of business.

[Rainier @ May 3rd 2006 2:04PM]

My only suggestion for using this would be for aquariums; from consumer goldfish bowls, to huge Sea World aquatic habitats. Makes for easy viewing of fishes, without feeling like you're going cross-eyed.

[l @ May 3rd 2006 2:17PM]

birds fly into windows because they see the reflection of the sky in the glass, not because its transparent.

[Thom @ May 4th 2006 1:08PM]

If you think of "transparent" strictly in terms of having zero opacity, then yes, I think an object can be transparent without being invisible. If it can refract light, you can probably detect the light shift and thus a sort of "silhouette" of the object. Kinda like the Predator's cloaking ability, right?

[mcse jung @ May 5th 2006 7:41AM]

A box made out of this stuff will make any mime an excellent mime!

[Amar thakur @ Jan 4th 2008 1:05AM]

I tried to construct this but it is good to hear from you.