Originally published in The Nano Newswire
Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas may soon help
Harry Potter fans everywhere realize their dreams. Using
nanotechnology, Ali Aliev and his team have created a way to make
items disappear, reappear, then disappear again.
Aliev and his team work with photothermal deflection, also known as the
"mirage effect." It's best recognized as the
phenomenon that can make a distant stretch of road seem wet and
shimmery on hot days. The heat bends the light rays, which creates
a mirage of a puddle on the road.
Aliev and his team mimicked this natural occurrence by using
electricity to heat a sheet of carbon nanotubes. They put the sheet
in water, and were able to bend the light around the it, making the
sheet seem to disappear. By turning off the heat, Aliev's team
made the sheet reappear. Turn the heat back on, and the sheet
disappeared again.
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