Published in Physics World, 9 Mar 2011
To make a perfect lens – one that produces images at unlimited resolution – you need a very special material that exhibits “negative refraction”. Or so researchers had thought.
Now scientists in the UK and Singapore have published experimental evidence that shows perfect lenses don’t need negative refraction at all – and that a simpler solution lies in a 150 year-old design pioneered by James Maxwell. If true, the discovery could be a goldmine for the computer-chip industry, allowing electronic circuits to be made far more complex than those of today. However, the work is proving so controversial that the lead scientist has become embroiled in a fiery debate with other experts in the field. […]
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