I missed the first 3 or 4 minutes of Avatar because I was playing with the glasses and a laser pen pointer :-)
On one level I agree with you that this seems, at least initially, as tidy bit of theoretical physics. Most people 'get' that light is an electromagnetic wave, and of course Maxwell tied the two together quite elegantly.
The clever bits will be these two:
1) Is there a material, either natural or 'meta' in which the structure can convert a fraction of the light passing through it into a magnetic field. If so, and the light is modulated, you can induce a current in a conductor. Could be useful, could be a parlor trick.
2) Can you run it backwards? Which is to say if you generate a magnetic field of the proper type and orientation in the presence of such a material, can you convert the magnetic field into light? If so what frequency? What coherence? Does this paper provide the foundation for a LAAMR (Light Amplification by Amplified Magnetic Resonance) (no, its not a pun on 'lamer' :-)
I expect if you can create the latter you could probably get a Nobel prize (or at least share it).
Am I the only one who enjoys finding out we're wrong about some long held scientific beliefs (in this case the magnetic influence of light)
On one level I agree with you that this seems, at least initially, as tidy bit of theoretical physics. Most people 'get' that light is an electromagnetic wave, and of course Maxwell tied the two together quite elegantly.
The clever bits will be these two:
1) Is there a material, either natural or 'meta' in which the structure can convert a fraction of the light passing through it into a magnetic field. If so, and the light is modulated, you can induce a current in a conductor. Could be useful, could be a parlor trick.
2) Can you run it backwards? Which is to say if you generate a magnetic field of the proper type and orientation in the presence of such a material, can you convert the magnetic field into light? If so what frequency? What coherence? Does this paper provide the foundation for a LAAMR (Light Amplification by Amplified Magnetic Resonance) (no, its not a pun on 'lamer' :-)
I expect if you can create the latter you could probably get a Nobel prize (or at least share it).
Am I the only one who enjoys finding out we're wrong about some long held scientific beliefs (in this case the magnetic influence of light)