英语新闻丨“隐身衣”将成为现实？中国科学院院士展示“隐身术”

Chinese scientists have showcased a groundbreaking "invisible" technology, which has sparked discussions about the possibility of achieving a real-life "invisibility cloak" in the future. Chu Junhao, an infrared physicist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, demonstrated the technology at a scientific event on Saturday evening. By using a special material, he made his legs disappear from sight. The material has the unique property of refracting light regularly. Composed of tiny cylindrical convex lenses arranged in a specific pattern, the material causes light passing through it to be refracted in a controlled manner.This extraordinary property compresses the object behind it into thin strips as light passes through. With a sufficient number of lenses, the object is effectively disassembled into countless identical strips. Due to the human eye's inability to distinguish these thin strips, the object appears to vanish.Chu also presented another method of achieving invisibility using substances with similar refractive indices.For instance, when high-boron silicon glass is in motion within glycerin, which has a similar refractive index, the object made of high-boron silicon glass becomes invisible.By exploiting the difference in refractive indices between materials, this method offers new possibilities for invisibility technology.While the concept of "invisibility" is commonly associated with being visually undetectable, it extends beyond the realm of vision to encompass various detection methods. In recent years, invisibility technology has become a focal point of research, particularly in military applications. With advancements in scientific theory, techniques such as infrared invisibility and radar stealth are being successfully applied in military operations.In 2008, the concept of meta-materials expanded into the field of thermology, presenting a new direction for the selection of materials for thermal stealth devices. This breakthrough has paved the way for the creation of thermal meta-materials.In addition, scientists are exploring the invisibility of different materials under various physical environments, leading to the construction of different types of invisibility cloaks. These include electromagnetic wave invisibility cloaks that allow objects to be hidden at specific microwave wavelengths, acoustic invisibility cloaks that prevent the propagation of sound waves, and thermal invisibility cloaks that manipulate heat diffusion equations for stealth purposes.These advancements in invisibility technology have not only caught the attention of the military sector but have also generated interest across various industries. Researchers and engineers are collaborating to push the boundaries of what was once considered science fiction, making it a reality.Source: thepaper.cn