Dielectric mirrors are used in devices such as lasers, which need very high reflectivity. The new kind of mirror developed at MIT can reflect light from all angles and polarizations, just like metallic mirrors, but also can be as low-loss as dielectric mirrors. It is designed to reflect a portion of the infrared part of the spectrum. The mirror's omnidirectional reflectivity occurs because all the light waves travelling forward through the mirror cancel each other out or interfere. Because they are made from relatively common materials, these mirrors could be made at a low cost and used for applications covering large areas.
Potential uses depend on the geometry of the system.
The mirrors are made using polymer processing techniques, which allow the manufacture of very high-quality optical devices for relatively low cost without a lot of specialized equipment. This is going to revolutionize the way people think about confining light. Trapping light invites all sorts of intriguing questions, Fink points out. Davis Professor of Physics. This work is funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Agency through the U.S. Army Research Office and by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.