Single metalens focuses all colors of the rainbow in one point;

[steve001]

This flat metalens is the first single lens that can focus the entire visible spectrum of light -- including white light -- in the same spot and in high resolution. It uses arrays of titanium dioxide nanofins to equally focus wavelengths of light and eliminate chromatic aberration. Credit: Jared Sisler/Harvard SEAS<br>
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https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-metalens-focuses-rainbow-possibilities-virtual.html

 

[CurtisOliver]

That's excellent. Thanks for sharing. Will look more into this when I've got a bit more time. :beer:

 

[steve001]

That's excellent. Thanks for sharing. Will look more into this when I've got a bit more time. :beer:

Ever since this type of lens came to my attention I've wondered how useful they'd be in laser application?

 

[lasersbee]

Interesting lens... Wonder what the cost
will be for the proposed 1cm dia. lens and
it's optical power rating.

Jerry

 

[paul1598419]

Interesting, but I don't see a laser use for them. Metalenses will be used to replace stacked lens assemblies that currently take up much more room.

 

[Cyparagon]

So this is just an expensive and overly complicated acromatic doublet.

 

[Deleted member 17304]

Maybe it's an improvement to the ones we already have?

Could be used for those 3-in-1 rgb diodes that are being developed... But I'm really just grasping at straws

 

[steve001]

So this is just an expensive and overly complicated acromatic doublet.

I believe the expression throwing the baby out with the bathwater applies. After the article are more links.

 

[Alaskan]

I've been researching these with pleasure, thank you for the link.

 

[paul1598419]

I found it interesting as well, Steve. I always enjoy learning something new and this certainly qualifies.

 

[steve001]

I found it interesting as well, Steve. I always enjoy learning something new and this certainly qualifies.

I'm never invitin' Cyparagon to one of my parties. ;-)

 

[Benm]

It could have nice applications in photography - making lens assemblies simpler in design because chromatic aberration is not a problem any longer. In many lens systems a lot of design and complexity goes into that.

For laser application i don't see that much in it as laser light is monochromatic, and we really only use different lenses for different wavelengths because of AR coating, not focal distance differences... unless you were building a projector and need a lens that adjusts the combined beam (say to focus a projected image on a screen for quality video images, not laser show kind of things).

 

[Alaskan]

I'd like to use one to combine R, G and B to make a nice white beam

 

[steve001]

I'd like to use one to combine R, G and B to make a nice white beam

I wonder how they'd perform for beam collimation.

 

[CynicalBrad]

I remember reading about these years ago and they were using gold whiskers. They were talking about using them as a replacement for bulky camera lenses but never made anything available. Hopefully some of these pop up as I'd love to play with some myself.

 

[paul1598419]

I wonder how they'd perform for beam collimation.

With so many nano elements, it wouldn't surprise me to see it cause a great deal of interference patterns. Some constructive and others destructive.