There’s something that some of us want to believe — something weird and wondrous and, to be frank, scary. We envision a world in which the sort of invisibility cloaks, the kind that appear in Harry Potter books and movies, could soon be reality. We’d be able to disappear just like that.
A number of news reports in recent years have suggested we’re headed that way. But that probably isn’t true, at least in the short term.
So says John Pendry, the British theoretical physicist who became famous for his his cloak-related research.
Pendry explored using artificial materials — or meta-materials — to reroute light and/or microwaves away from specific areas, essentially rendering the area invisible. Last fall, his work earned him a Kyoto Prize, an international award given to people whose work is devoted to the betterment of humanity.
Pendry, 81, sat down with The San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday to discuss invisibility cloaks before heading off to lunch at Point Loma Nazarene University. He is set to give a speech at UC San Diego on Wednesday.
This interview has been edited for continuity and clarity.
Q: The last time I was in New York I looked up at the Flatiron Building and wished I had an invisibility cloak so that I could wander from floor to floor to simply see what things looked like, and maybe to eavesdrop on people. I suspect the answer is no. But is there any chance I’ll be able to buy a cloaking device on Amazon within the next decade?
A: Well, that’s what every kid wants to know, isn’t it? There’s no law of physics that says it is impossible. But you would need to have a material that can do that. And at the moment those materials are not available.
My specialty is meta-materials, which bring a whole raft of new functionalities. But even they struggle with visible light on structures that are on a scale that you would want to cloak. So sorry to disappoint.
When it comes to cloaking there are some natural materials that could achieve this. A guy (now) in Hong Kong made a cloak for visible light using, I think, feldspar. But it has its limitations.
Q: Mapping the human genome took about 13 years, a relatively short period of time. Is finding a way to effectively use cloaks infinitely harder problem?
A: I can pen a design for you. You tell me what you want, and I’ll write you a formula on how to make it. Then it will be your task to go find those materials that have the properties I specified. And you won’t find them.
Q: The rapid evolution in artificial intelligence worries me, because it can be used for harmful purposes as well as good. It makes me wonder if the same would be true of invisibility cloaks. Aren’t there down sides along with the good?
A: Any capability has a down side. I suppose we have to make a decision about whether we want (to be) more capable of healing ourselves and killing ourselves. It’s not either/or.
For me, it is a no-brainer. I have confidence in humanity that new technology will be used wisely.
Q: That surprises me. Why are you confident that things will go well?
A: That’s just the way I’m built. You’re either an optimist or a pessimist. I’m an optimist.
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