Scientists in New York City have successfully observed time reflections, a phenomenon where electromagnetic waves are reversed in time, using engineered metamaterials and electronic switches, opening new possibilities for wireless communication and wave-based computing.
Scientists in New York City have experimentally confirmed the existence of time reflections—an elusive phenomenon where electromagnetic waves are reversed in time—using engineered metamaterials that can rapidly change their properties, opening new possibilities for wireless communication and wave-based computing.
Physicists in the US have observed time reflection in an electromagnetic wave for the first time, using a novel type of metamaterial. The result could improve wireless communication and ultimately help bring about long-sought-after optical computing. The analogue nature of this time reversal mechanism could lead to a number of applications, including combating distortion in a wireless data channel and a new generation of analogue optical computers. The research is published in Nature Physics.
Scientists have conducted a groundbreaking experiment demonstrating the time reflection of electromagnetic waves, which has potential implications for wireless communications and optical computing. The experiment used a tailored metamaterial to observe time reflections of electromagnetic signals, causing a significant portion of the broadband signals traveling in the metamaterial to be instantaneously time reversed and frequency converted. The researchers also demonstrated that the duration of the time-reflected signals was stretched in time due to broadband frequency conversion. The achievement can pave the way for exciting applications in wireless communications and for the development of small, low-energy, wave-based computers.