Acoustic Super lenses using sound waves and mentamaterials

The world bemuses me all the more with confusing innovations that are beyond a layman’s rational. Beat this-a group of researchers’ uses sound rather than light to produce high-resolution images! Thanks to the first acoustic mentamaterial ever to have been produced. It is this material that helps focus the ultrasound waves required to create an image, something which the ships could use very effectively to hide from sonar. The mentamaterial has the uncanny ability to refract-bend light backwards- unlike conventional lenses that do not have a negative refractive index. This prowess can help shroud an object using acoustic sound or light. Assistant Professor Nicholas Fang from the University of Illinois is the one who succeeded in inventing a mentamaterial that could bend light backward.

ultrasound lens

His team developed a sound-focussing device using an aluminium tray with resonant cavities. These cavities have dimensions tuned respond to the ultrasound waves. Once filled with water, these cavities resonate on application of the ultra sound waves. The team still needs to beat the diffraction limit and once that part is grilled, who knows we could have a new way of developing high resolution images all together.

Via: Technology Review