Magnetic Fields in Technicolor

For the first time ever, scientists have used a camera to capture the vibrations of a magnetic field.

The images of the field - induced magnetic pulsations at the frequency of visible light - reveal a rainbow of colors. To produce these colors, a team of researchers at the University of Manchester exposed a new type of synthetic material to light. The induced vibrations within the material were so strong that they change the material's color from yellow to green.

The material, developed in collaboration with Chernogolovka Institute of Microelectronics Technologies in Russia and Aston University in the United Kingdom, exhibits "unnatural" properties and could be the first step towards a perfect lens. A perfect lens focuses images so well that features smaller than a wavelength of light become visible.

To create the material, scientists covered a glass plate with tiny, 100-nanometer tall pairs of gold pillars. As light interacts with these pillars they produce magnetic vibrations that alter the reflective properties.

This type of technology could have potential applications for smaller optical lenses, mini-lasers that can be built on computer chips, and ultra-sensitive chemical and bio-detectors. This research is detailed in the Nov. 17 issue of the journal Nature.