In a recent Science Advances paper, researchers at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom unveiled a concept for manipulating the flow around an object so that it behaves as if “the object is not there,” according to a statement. Similar magnetic “cloaks” had been developed before, but the new concept is the first demonstration of a cloak that works for any type of shape.
“Magnetic cloaking is no longer a futuristic concept tied to the right analytical conditions,” Harold Luiz, the study’s senior author and an engineer at Leicester, said in the statement. “This study shows that practical, manufacturable cloaks for complex geometries are within reach, enabling next-generation shielding solutions for science, medicine and industry.”
hide from magnetism
As one of the four fundamental forces of nature, magnetism is present virtually everywhere in the world. Many technologies – hard drives, MRI, nuclear reactors – manipulate magnetism to some extent, but unwanted The researchers reported that magnetic fields can be a serious nuisance, causing signal distortion, data errors or equipment malfunction.
The magnetic cloak coils the magnetic flux around the cloak in such a way that any external magnetic field passing nearby is unable to detect the object beneath the cloak. Before this study, researchers had experienced limited success when attempting to engineer magnetic cloaks. And while they managed to create one, whether the cloaks were cylindrical or spherical, “their practical relevance was limited”, according to the paper.
a fluid invisibility cloak
However, the new concept is surprisingly flexible. The researchers combined superconductors with soft ferromagnets to create the cloak. In this blueprint, the superconductor element expels incoming magnetic fields, while the soft ferromagnet transforms the superconductor’s distortion of magnetic field lines into smooth shapes. Researchers said it tricks the external magnetic signal into thinking there is nothing there.
As stated, this is a paper conceptAnd the team hasn’t created a physical version of the cloak yet. It should also be noted that the system’s superconducting elements only work under extremely cold temperatures, although the researchers noted in the paper that “this should not diminish their feasibility, as the cryogenics industry supporting superconducting technologies is already well established.”
“Our next step is to fabricate and experimentally test these magnetic cloaks using high-temperature superconducting tape and soft magnetic composites,” Ruiz said. “We are already planning follow-up studies and collaborations to bring these designs into real-world settings.”
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