Scientists invent invisibility cloak 科學家發明隱形披風

 ◎陳成良
It sounds like a far-fetched invention from science-fiction or fairytales.
乍聽之下，這像是科幻小說或童話故事中牽強附會的發明。
But US scientists have developed a working invisibility cloak made from small particles of glass.
不過，美國科學家已開發出一種由小玻璃粒子製成，能發揮隱形作用的披風。
When light hits an object, it bounces off the surface and into the naked eye, making it visible. But researchers at Michigan Tech University have found a way of capturing infrared light and bending it around an object, making it invisible.
當光線照射物體，物體表面反射光線到肉眼，使物體能被看見。不過，密西根科技大學的研究人員已經發現了一種方法，可以捕獲紅外光並使其在物體周圍發生彎曲，從而讓物體隱形。
At the moment the science is still based in the lab. But if the same results could be achieved with visible light, the shrouded object would disappear from sight.
到目前為止，這項科學仍處於實驗室階段，但如果能以可見光線達成相同結果，被籠罩的物體也會從眼前消失。
Professor Elena Semouchkina has developed a nonmetallic cloak that uses identical glass resonators made of chalcogenide glass, a type of material that does not conduct electricity.
賽莫金娜教授開發的這種非金屬材質的披風，採用了與紅外線波長尺寸相同的玻璃共振片，由硫系玻璃製成，不會導電。
In computer simulations, the cloak made objects hit by infrared waves—approximately one micron or one-millionth of a metre long—disappear from view.
在電腦模擬中，蓋上披風的物體受到紅外線照射，然後它真的從視線中消失了。她所使用的紅外線波長約為1微米，即1米的100萬分之一。
It is the first time scientists have tried using glass to bend light in this way.
這是科學家首次嘗試使用玻璃材質來實現光線的彎曲。
新聞辭典
far-fetched：形容詞，牽強附會的。例句：I’m not conviced by your far-fetched excuse.（我不會被你牽強的理由說服。）
（be）made from：片語，（產生本質變化的）由……製成。例句：The paper is made from wood.（紙是木材做的。）「be made of」則表示由成品可看出原料，例句：The table is made of wood. （這張桌子是木頭製造的。）
chalcogenide glasses：科學名詞，硫系玻璃。是指以硫系元素硫（S）、硒（Se）與碲（Te）為主體的玻璃。