Magnetic Cloak Without Superconductors

Electromagnetic cloaks can shield objects from electromagnetic radiation, while rendering them virtually invisible. While cloaks for visible electromagnetic waves have proven difficult to realize, researchers have demonstrated schemes that work on magnetic fields. Such magnetic cloaks typically use superconducting materials, which must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures—a great drawback for practical applications. Now, Sailing He, Yungui Ma, and Wei Jiang of Zhejiang University, China, have built a room-temperature cloak that does not employ superconductors. Such a cloak could be useful in shielding sensitive devices from external magnetic fields.