UMD Physicists, Teamed with HYPRES, Develop New Material that becomes Invisible to Microwave Radiation with Flip of a Switch
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May 9, 2016University of Maryland physicists, teamed with HYPRES, have developed a new cloaking material that can become transparent to microwave radiation with the flip of a switch. The achievement is described in a paper published in the journal Physical Review X.
From UMD’s announcement:
University of Maryland physicists have developed a new cloaking material that can become transparent to microwave radiation with the flip of a switch. Because many wireless communication devices rely on microwaves, the new material could be used to design more efficient communications networks. Additionally, the material has unique properties that could help bridge the gap between modern digital computers and next-generation “quantum” computers.
The new material can be selectively tuned to respond to a wide range of microwave wavelengths, making it more versatile than many previous attempts at cloaking technology.
The UMD researchers teamed with HYPRES on the project and co-authored the study with Oleg Mukhanov, chief technology officer of HYPRES. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program.
Beyond its use for cloaking, the rf-SQUID-based metamaterial might help solve other technological challenges, including the implementation of quantum computers.
“HYPRES is very interested in the interface between quantum computing and classical digital computing, so we are looking for new technology capable of connecting the two,” Mukhanov said. “This new metamaterial has properties that are sensitive to both quantum processes and superconducting digital logic, so it would most likely be cross-compatible.”