MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Re: would highly saturated electron field invisibility work

Date: Mon Apr 24 11:19:51 2006
Posted By: Barry Kamrass, Consulting Engineer
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1145832829.Ph
Message:

Great idea, but I'm sorry to tell you that it won't work.

The problem is that somebody hasn't told you the complete story.  
Electrons themselves don't absorb visible radiation.  Rather, the 
electrons orbit a nucleus in a sort of cloud of energy levels and light 
is absorbed when an electron moves from one energy level to the next.  
Further, this light absorbtion does not occur in a broadband frequency 
(such as would be needed to create an invisibility field) but rather in 
extremely discrete wavelengths.  So to create an invisibility field, it 
would not be enough to have a field of electrons (which would have to 
occur in a vacuum, anyway, to avoid collisions with air molecules) but 
rather a beam of many atoms.  This beam would also have to be in a 
vacuum, and, as discussed above, would only absorb certain wavelengths of 
light.  Further still, to create an atomic beam you'd have to supply 
energy to the atoms and this would cause the atomic beam to glow.  
Finally, you'd have to have the beam dense enough and this would be 
extremely difficult indeed.  So great idea, but I'm afraid that the 
concept will not work.  Thanks for asking!, and keep thinking!


Current Queue | Current Queue for Physics | Physics archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Physics.



MadSci Home | Information | Search | Random Knowledge Generator | MadSci Archives | Mad Library | MAD Labs | MAD FAQs | Ask a ? | Join Us! | Help Support MadSci


MadSci Network, webadmin@madsci.org
© 1995-2006. All rights reserved.