Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) have developed the lightest optical mirror ever.
Typically, mirrors use highly polishedmetal surfaces or optical glasses with a special coating for improved performance at a lower weight. But physicists from MPQ have demonstrated for the first time that even one structured layer of several hundred atoms can form an optical mirror. Its thickness is only a few tens of nanometers, which is a thousand times thinner than the width of a human hair.
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Engineers noted that the two main characteristicsmirrors are regular pattern and sub-wavelength distance. They suppress diffuse light scattering by combining reflection into a unidirectional and stable beam of light. However, due to the relatively close and discrete distance between atoms, an incoming photon can bounce back and forth between atoms many times before being reflected. Both effects make the mirror more effective.
The mirror has a diameter of about seven microns. However, the device on which the mirror was designed occupies the entire territory of the scientists' laboratory - it has more than a thousand individual optical components and weighs about two tons. Therefore, the new material is unlikely to be used for mass production of mirrors.
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