A group of researchers from the University of California at Berkeley reported that they were able to find a way to compress the light at a greater extent than has been able so far to ensure its passage through the light of sizes smaller than the wavelength. According to the authors claim, give them an opportunity to open the way new technologies optical communications, lasers and optical miniature computers.
Strictly speaking, the phenomenon of light in the surfaces of materials, known as plazmonikov (plasmonics), to some extent already been investigated, including through the efforts of scientists from the same Berkeley. In light plazmonikah associated with electrons, and thus spreads over the surface of the metal. However, while light fade too quickly, thereby impeding the practical application of this effect in its pure form. A new idea is to bring together researchers plazmoniki and semiconductors, in order to enable the proliferation of compressed light over long distances.
proposed by scientists consists of light materials two songs - semiconductor and silver. Pass on the border of these components, light creates education charges in each of the substances, and these charges, in turn, reduces attenuation and contribute to the passage of light over long distances. So far, calculations inventors are mainly theoretical, but they are confident in the possibility of practical realization of their ideas. But on the way to solve this they should still many questions - for example, has so far not sufficiently sensitive instruments capable of recording light flows so small scale.
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