Nanotech optics

Perfect optical components may be formable from nanotechnology according to recent work by a collaboration of Penn scientists including Prof. Randy Kamien.  The group recently discovered a structure where the layers curve around multiple ellipses that fan out radially from a common point, like the petals on a daisy. Since each “petal” can act as a focusing element for light, these structures could be used to concentrate light at an intense central point.  The work is one of the Physics Synopsis topics of the week from Physics Review X.