more on U.S. Researchers Invent Antenna for Light

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: September 20, 2004 7:32:52 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Re: U.S. Researchers Invent Antenna for Light
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com



[Note:  This comment comes from reader Steve Schear.  DLH]

From: Steve Schear <s.schear () comcast net>
Date: September 20, 2004 4:07:39 PM PDT
To: dewayne () warpspeed com
Subject: Re: [Dewayne-Net] U.S. Researchers Invent Antenna for Light

At 01:25 PM 9/18/2004, Dewayne Hendricks wrote:
> U.S. Researchers Invent Antenna for Light
>  Fri Sep 17, 2004 01:59 PM ET
> <http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml? 
> type=scienceNews&storyID=6268375&src=rss/scienceNews&section=news>
>
>  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers said on Friday they have invented
> an antenna that captures visible light in much the same way that radio
> antennas capture radio waves.
>
>  They say the device, using tiny carbon nanotubes, might serve as the
> basis for an optical television or for converting solar energy into
> electricity once properly developed.

This is not the conceptual breakthrough it might first appear.  An 
acquaintance of mine, Alvin Marks, the inventor of polarized plastic, 
did substantial work in this area in the 70s and 80s filing some 
significant patents on optically resonant structures for conversion of 
light to electricity and vice versa.  He even designed novel bulk 
manufacturing process, including a sort of self-assembly at the 
molecular level using electrostatic charges to align doped polar 
molecules.

steve


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