Gravitationally Assisted Negative Refraction of Light by Vacuum

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Gravitationally Assisted Negative Refractionof
Light by Vacuum

• Akhlesh Lakhtakia
• Pennsylvania State University
• Tom G. Mackay
• University of Edinburgh

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Effect of Negative Refraction
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Progress thus far - I

• Isotropic, homogeneous, dielectric-magnetic
  materials can refract negatively
• Anisotropic, homogeneous, materials can refract
  negatively.
• Theoretical results on homogeneous materials and
  metamaterials
• Microwave experiments on metamaterials

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Progress thus far - II

• Isotropic, homogeneous, dielectric-magnetic
  materials can refract
• positively, for stationary observers
• negatively, for uniformly moving observers
• Theoretical results on homogeneous materials
• Special theory of relativity used

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Progress thus far - III

• Isotropic, homogeneous, dielectric-magnetic
  materials can refract
• positively, for stationary observers
• negatively, for uniformly moving observers
• Consequences
• Space-platform-based telemetry of stars, planets
  and asteroids
• Remote guidance of extraterrestrial mining and
  industrial operations
• 3. Reinterpretation of space maps

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Thus far, Negative refraction by vacuum has not
been established!
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Huge Expanses of Space Are Vacuous But
affected by Gravitational Fields of Stars (such
as suns, red dwarfs, and black
holes) Gigantic Planets
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We have now shown that

• Gravitational Fields
• can impart vacuum
• with negative refraction properties
• over limited ranges of spacetime

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General Theory of Relativitysuggests
thatVacuum in curved spacetime Medium in flat
spacetimepiecewise locally
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Potential Consequences

• Space-based telemetry
• Extraterrestrial mining and manufacturing
• More Extensive Revision of space maps
• Search for dark matter?

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arXivphysics/0408021
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Thank You