In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Harvard University have constructed a computer chip that can manipulate light in ways previously thought impossible. By using a metamaterial, the researchers were able to manipulate the phase velocity of light to exceed not only the speed of light, but to become infinitely fast. The chip can deform, stretch, squeeze, and bend light without losing energy during transmission. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of optics and could lead to the creation of more efficient and powerful optical circuits.
The speed of light is a fundamental constant of nature, as established by Einstein’s special theory of relativity. According to this theory, light cannot travel faster than 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. However, recent experiments have shown that light can be artificially slowed down, stopped, and even made to run backwards. The maximum speed of light in a vacuum is around 300 times faster than in other materials, such as cesium.
The Harvard researchers have now set an unbreakable speed record by creating a computer chip made of metamaterial, whose refractive index is zero. At this extreme limit, the wavelength in the material becomes infinitely large and the phase is constant everywhere. The chip is made of a square area of a special polymer, embedded with tiny silicon pillars. The chip can be easily integrated into conventional optical circuits and can manipulate light in any way without losing energy. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of optics and could lead to the creation of more efficient and powerful optical circuits.
