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mix sharpens holograms
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The
best materials for capturing high-resolution
holograms have tended to be flimsy plastics
that do a poor job of holding the holograms
together. A composite material based on glass
promises to record clear images and keep them
that way.
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Material
bends microwaves backwards
The laws of physics say that rain will never fall
up and a bullet fired in empty space will never
stop. But they do not say you can't make a convex
lens that spreads light or a flat slab that focuses
it.
Shaky
chip makes for bug-eyed bots
Start up a jackhammer and, among other things, you
can be sure your vision will get blurry. But jumping
spiders actually improve their vision by vibrating
their retinas. The principle could lead to better
visual sensors for robots.
Cold
plastic gives electrons a free ride
Put many kinds of metal in a deep freeze and electrons
will flow through them like greased lightning. If
you line up its molecules neatly, you can turn a
type of plastic into a superconductor, too.
Holographic
technique stresses interference
Holograms result from two laser beams interfering
with each other. Researchers have found that adding
another type of interference makes for sharper holograms.
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