THE HYPERLENS BREAKTHROUGH

Описание: The hyperlens breakthrough refers to the development of advanced optical technology that breaks the diffraction limit, allowing for real-time, far-field imaging of objects at the nanoscale (such as viruses on living cells). Unlike traditional microscopes, which cannot resolve features smaller than half the wavelength of light (~200–300 nm), the hyperlens converts evanescent waves (which carry high-resolution, near-field information but decay quickly) into propagating waves that can be captured by conventional lenses.

Key aspects of this breakthrough include:
Isotopic Purification of Materials: A major 2017 advancement used isotopically purified hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). By creating crystals from 99% pure boron-10, researchers reduced optical losses, increasing the lifetime of polaritons three-fold, which allows them to travel three times further.
Imaging Capabilities: This technology enables viewing features as small as 30 nanometers—sufficient to see individual viruses on the surface of living cells.
Two-Dimensional (2D) Imaging: While early hyperlenses were restricted to one-dimensional imaging, newer "spherical hyperlenses" composed of alternating silver (Ag) and titanium oxide (
) layers allow for 2D magnification in the visible spectrum.
Real-Time, Label-Free Imaging: The hyperlens enables immediate, in-vivo observation of cellular processes, overcoming the limitations of electron microscopes that require dead or vacuum-sealed samples.
Future Potential: Researchers believe that using larger, purified crystals could lead to another 10-fold increase in resolution.