Imaging the hot turbulence of aircraft propulsion systems may now be possible with sturdy sheets of composite materials that twist light beams, according to researchers from the University of Michigan, the Air Force Research Laboratory, ARCTOS Technology Solutions (Beavercreek, OH), the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials in Campinas, Brazil, and the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil. The key is arranging nanomaterials that don't twist light on their own onto layers that turn light waves into either left- or right-handed spirals, known as circular polarizations. "These low-cost optical materials afford modularity, which is crucial for optimizing solutions for a broad range of future technologies," said Richard Vaia, one of the researchers involved in this study.
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