Perfect' mirror promises good things in medicine, fiber optics and conservation Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised a mirror that can reflect light at any angle with no loss of energy. Mirrors come in two basic varieties. The one you look into every morning to put on makeup or shave is metallic. It reflects well, but it's wasteful. Because metallic mirrors absorb light, they cannot be used in communications or high-powered lasers, where limited energy loss is essential.
Scientists use dielectric mirrors for communications and high-powered lasers.
Dielectric mirrors can be made to transmit infrared light. Their limitation is they can only reflect light from limited angles, which restricts their use in lasers where the light is constrained to strike at a certain angle. By using the properties of both mirrors, MIT scientists have turned up a mirror that reflects infrared light from all angles. Using these mirrors, surgeons could precisely guide lasers to the organ in need repair or removal. The tubes, called omniguides, could be used to replace fiber optics in telecommunications.