From: David Makin <makinmagic@tiscali.co.uk> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Mon, February 21, 2011 3:03:44 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] Time-reversed laser absorbs coherent light On 21 Feb 2011, at 22:05, Eugene Salamin wrote:
High absorptance -- but this is just a matter of reducing reflectance, already a
well developed technology.
That's not the only issue, surely it depends on what form the absorbed energy takes on absorption, or I should say the overall efficiency of going from light to accessible/transferable power ? _______________________________________________ The NYT article seems to say that, at least so far, absorption in an anti-laser goes into heat. But a standard absorber can be designed to produce useful work, as for example a solar cell. The front surface of a solar cell can be etched into tiny pyramids, subwavelength laterally, several wavelengths tall, to gradually shift the refractive index and thus reduce reflection. -- Gene