Revolutionary Device Challenges Kirchhoff's Law for Efficient Energy Harvesting

Researchers have developed a device that can violate Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation, which states that an object's absorption and emission efficiencies are equal. This breakthrough could have significant implications for energy harvesting systems and camouflage technology. The device combines a material with a strong magnetic-field response and a patterned structure to enhance absorption and emission in infrared wavelengths. By decoupling the absorptive and emissive properties of objects, higher energy conversion efficiencies can be achieved. This experimental proof challenges a law that has been upheld for over 150 years.