First-Ever “Metalenses” Turn Invisible Light Visible and Are Dramatically Thinner Than Glass Lenses

This New Lens Converts Invisible Infrared Light into Visible Color

An atomic-scale metalens converts infrared into visible light in a single leap

First-Ever “Metalenses” Turn Invisible Light Visible and Are Dramatically Thinner Than Glass Lenses

ETH Zurich scientists have invented the first-ever lithium niobate metalenses that can convert invisible infrared light into visible green light. The team’s production process is easily scalable, with one researcher comparing it to a metalens “printing press.” With precisely engineered nanostructures several times thinner than glass lenses, these extremely thin lenses, which focus light waves like traditional lenses and convert light into altern…

‘Magical’ ultra-thin lenses transform infrared light into visible light

In recent years, the world of optics has undergone a major shift. New research shows how light can be bent, focused, and even changed in color using structures so small they’re invisible to the eye. These structures, called metasurfaces, have unlocked powerful new abilities once thought impossible in lenses that are just nanometers thick. Until now, building devices that use nonlinear optics—where one color of light transforms into another—has b…

New Contact Lenses Let Humans See Invisible Infrared Light

Scientists have developed contact lenses that offer humans "super-vision"—or the ability to perceive infrared light.