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A young type of flat , razor - thin telescope lense could transform recondite - quad stargazing by making it potential to mount lightweight but powerful telescopes onto aircraft and artificial satellite , scientist say .
Refractor telescopesnormally practice curved lenses to overstate distant objects through a summons calledrefraction . Similar to a magnifying drinking glass , the curved lens of a scope twist light and directs it to a focal full point , making objects appear gravid .
However , traditional lens quickly become impractical for space telescopes study star orgalaxiesmillions of light year away . This is because the further forth an aim is , the more magnification is required to bring it into focus , and therefore the thick and heavier the lens postulate to be .
That ’s why scientists have explored flat lenses , which should in theory be lighter and less bulky . The challenge with them , however , is that swooning interacts with them other than than with curved lenses .
seeable lightis a eccentric ofelectromagnetic radiation syndrome , which is transmitted in waves or particle at unlike wavelengths and frequencies . When light go through a mat electron lens , it diffracts , disperse wavelengths in multiple direction and resulting in a blurry , unfocussed image .
But a new " multilevel diffractive electron lens " ( MDL ) developed by scientist features a multi - level structure consisting of " microscopically small concentrical rings . " These efficaciously canalize unlike wavelengths of sparkle towards the same focal head to create a needlelike , color - precise image .
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The new 100 - millimetre ( 3.9 - inch ) diam lens of the eye , which has a 200 mm ( 7.8 in ) focal length , is just 2.4 micron thick . Optimized for the 400 to 800 nm wavelength range for visible light , this lense is much lighter than a conventional curving lens and eliminates color distortions .
The scientists publish their findings Feb. 3 in the journalApplied Physics Letters . The study was fund by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA),NASAand the Office of Naval Research .
" Our presentment is a stepping Isidor Feinstein Stone towards creating very big aperture lightweight flat lenses with the capacity of capturing full - colour image for use in air- and space - found telescopes , " Pb study authorApratim Majumder , assistant professor in electrical and figurer engineering at the University of Utah , said in astatement .
Ahead of the curve
scientist have designed 2-dimensional lens in the past , most notably thefresnel geographical zone plate ( FZP ) , which feature concentric ridge etched across the surface . However , the ridges of FZPs break light source into freestanding wavelengths and diffract them at different angles , result in color distortions .
The MDL is unique in that its concentric rings exist at varying depths within the lens itself . As light passes through , the microscopic indentation adjust how dissimilar wavelength diffract , forbid them from overspread aside as they normally would . This controlled diffraction brings all wavelengths of twinkle into focus at the same time , lead in a knifelike , color - accurate image .
As well as void the color torture of FZPs , the researchers said the new categorical lense offer the same light - bend power as traditional curved lenses . In the study , they used the MDL to capture images of the sunshine and synodic month . Lunar images they aim revealed fundamental geological features , while they also used it in solar imagination to catch seeable sunspot .
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" Simulating the performance of these lenses over a very large bandwidth , from visible to near - infrared , involve solving complex computational trouble involving very large datasets , " Majumder said in the statement . " Once we optimize the design of the lens ’ microstructures , the manufacturing process require very tight procedure control and environmental stability . "
The research worker said the technology had applications in uranology , astrophotographyand other " long - kitchen range imaging tasks " include " airborne and place - based imagery covering . " What ’s more , yield may not be far off .
" Our computational proficiency suggested we could design multi - plane diffractive categorical lenses with large apertures that could focus light across the visible spectrum and we have the resources in the Utah Nanofab to really make them , " subject co - authorRajesh Menon , prof of electrical and computer engineering at University of Utah , say in the statement .
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