Slovak scientists move closer to invention of ‘invisibility cloak’

After years of trying, a group of Slovak scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) has created a device which can hide objects from magnetic fields and create an illusion of invisibility. Though the original idea was developed by a team of Barcelona-based scientists, it was three Slovaks who confirmed the hypothesis via experiments, the TASR newswire reported.

After years of trying, a group of Slovak scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) has created a device which can hide objects from magnetic fields and create an illusion of invisibility. Though the original idea was developed by a team of Barcelona-based scientists, it was three Slovaks who confirmed the hypothesis via experiments, the TASR newswire reported.

The experiment to create a magnetic invisibility cloak was based on the fact that a specially designed cylindrical superconductor-ferromagnetic bi-layer can act as a cloak against static magnetic fields.

“While the superconductor expels the magnetic field, the ferromagnetic material absorbs it,” said Fedor Gömöry, one member of the Slovak team, as quoted by TASR. “To make sure that the material used has the characteristics required, it needs to be cooled down to minus 195 degrees Celsius.”

Gömöry added that even though the materials used in the experiment only cost around €30, the years of scientific work involved in the project represent a much higher outlay.

The new device could eventually be used in advanced computer technology as well as in circumstances where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines are used in medicine. Research into dark matter in the universe could also benefit from the new invention, TASR wrote.

Source: TASR

Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

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