User:Coffee Lama/NiM
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Negative index metamaterials are metamaterials that have the capability to direct and regulate waves due to their negative refractive index.[1] Metamaterial broadly refers to any synthetic material with unusual refractive properties, in this context. The application of negative index metamaterials involves blending objects with the environment, and this application is being actively developed in the laboratory.[1][2][3] This on-going research is funded by several US government agencies, including DARPA, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy.[4]
The basic idea involves controlling a material such that it bends light or other electromagnetic waves around a region or object such that they emerge on their original path. It would appear to an observer as if light was propagating across empty space. An object inside the concealed region would not be visible. [5] The theory of negative index metamaterials was originally outlined in 1968,[6] and it was confirmed by experiment in 2001.[1][2] As a practical demonstration of the associated capabilities, a small object was hidden from view, appearing to be empty space, using negative index metamaterials in 2006.[7] Currently, "invisibility" has been achieved only with small objects, and only in several frequency ranges within the electromagnetic spectrum. [1][8] In the future, concealment might be achieved across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from the lowest radio frequencies, through microwaves, to the visible light. [1][7]
Military applications include improved stealth aircraft. [7][5] Besides military applications the technology has projected applications for everyday life. [3][9]