Marc Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 um.... yes please! Materials such as paper, paint, and biological tissue are opaque because the light that passes through them is scattered in complicated and seemingly random ways. A new experiment conducted by researchers at the City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) has shown that it's possible to focus light through opaque materials and detect objects hidden behind them, provided you know enough about the material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightcouldb1 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Pretty cool stuff. I found the original article for any one that's interested. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100308132052.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 haha.. I can't believe I forgot to add the link. sigh. Thanks Jason. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnus Pettersson Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 When can I order my X-ray glasses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFX Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 For those who are interested in this sort of stuff, here's another article that's relevant. This one on random matrix theory http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627550.200-enter-the-matrix-the-deep-law-that-shapes-our-reality.html?DCMP=OTC-rss From the article: Others are using random matrix theory to do surprising things, such as enabling light to pass through apparently impenetrable, opaque materials. Last year, physicist Allard Mosk of the University of Twente in the Netherlands and colleagues used it to describe the statistical connections between light that falls on an object and light that is scattered away. For an opaque object that scatters light very well, he notes, these connections can be described by a totally random matrix. What comes up are some strange possibilities not suggested by other analyses. The matrices revealed that there should be what Mosk calls "open channels" - specific kinds of waves that, instead of being reflected, would somehow pass right through the material. Indeed, when Mosk's team shone light with a carefully constructed wavefront through a thick, opaque layer of zinc oxide paint, they saw a sharp increase in the transmission of light. Awesome stuff . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario Marengo Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 For those who are interested in this sort of stuff, here's another article that's relevant. This one on random matrix theory http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627550.200-enter-the-matrix-the-deep-law-that-shapes-our-reality.html?DCMP=OTC-rss Wow. Crazy, loopy, wonderful! Thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xionmark Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Yes yes yes!! Nice! Out in the field ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 I like how the whole thing was started from one scientist guessing a bunch of numbers and putting them in a matrix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xionmark Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 I like how the whole thing was started from one scientist guessing a bunch of numbers and putting them in a matrix. Indeed. Math is magical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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