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| Invisibility Cloaks |
Metamaterials in a state-run lab that reportedly functions as
'
invisibility cloaks' and could be used to make fighter jets impossible
to detect, according to local media.
A broadcast by
China Central Television Station (CCTV),
revealed that a laboratory in Shenzhen, in southeastern China, is
manufacturing various types of highly technological materials—including
invisibility, anti-burning and anti-icing cloaks.
However, the functions of these materials have not yet been disclosed. Chinese news platform
Sina
reported that the assembly line is directly related to the military and
the materials are likely to be used to camouflage J-20 fighter jets.
Metamaterials, known in China as "supermaterials," are materials
engineered to have a property that is not found in nature. They are
created from assemblies of multiple elements fashioned from various
metals or plastics.
Some metamaterials can bend visible light (infrared radiation) through a
novel optical material that effectively means they could act as an
invisibility device. According to the CCTV broadcast, those materials
are now being manufactured by an assembly line and will be used to help
further China’s aviation industry.
What are metamaterials?
In this case, we're talking about composite
metals and plastics that use artificial geometry to influence the
wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, as well as elastic waves and
sounds. Some metamaterials built using nanotechnology can also be used
as super strength materials. In fact, optical metamaterials have already
been used to demonstrate invisibility by 'redirecting' visible light
around itself to avoid reflection, hence their frequent reference to the
popular fiction of "cloaking" in Star Trek and Harry Potter. (No
real-life cloaking shields have yet been demonstrated).
The
metamaterials on the J-20 are likely to be used for as antennas and
absorbers, given that the facility making them specializes in
electromagnetic tech. Metamaterial antennas can increase radiated power,
resulting in longer-range and more precise radar, as well as powerful
jammers and datalinks. In turn, by fine-tuning their structures,
metamaterial absorbers can be engineered to absorb specific wavelength
ranges, such as those from the radars of enemy fighters and missiles.
Such absorbers would likely be put on areas likely to reflect radar
waves, such as the edges of canards, weapon bay doors, and engine
nozzles.
Additionally, metamaterials optimized for infrared radiation can
improve the sensitivity of the J-20's infrared sensors for tracking
missiles and aircraft. Or, in large enough quantities, metamaterials
could reduce the fighter's own infrared signature.

J-20 jets have several unique designs and capabilities, such as the
canard configuration design that provides them greater stealth while
maintaining maneuverability and its supersonic speed.
Scientists are reportedly producing the materials at the
State Key Laboratory of Metamaterial Electromagnet Modulation Technology, which was established in 2011 and is based in the Guangqi Advanced Institute of Technology. According to its
website, the lab has an annual production capacity of more than 107,600 square feet of metamaterial plates.
“State key” indicates the organization is state-funded or run by the Chinese government.
A 'super material' that's INVISIBLE, 'invisibility cloak' metamaterial in bulk
The Sina report also confirmed that the materials will likely be used by
the military, specifically for camouflaging the J-20 fighter jets as
its chief engineer Yang Wei is also on the laboratory’s academic board.
Yang Wei, the J-20's chief designer,
told that China is already laying down the requirements for a
sixth-generation follow-up to the J-20. Much as the USAF's envisioned
futuristic Penetrating Counter Air platform, too, will likely include
much more metamaterials.
Last December, a video of a man demonstrating the abilities of a quantum
invisibility cloak went viral worldwide after it was shared to
Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
Some believed the clip was authentic as Chen Shiqu, the deputy director
of Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security,
was the user who posted the footage. However, many doubted the validity
of the clip because it did not appear on the official Chinese government
website or the Criminal Investigation Bureau page.
Zhu Zhensong, a producer at Quantum Video production company, told that the video was a sham and probably edited together
with a plastic cloth.
"Softwares such as Adobe's After Effects, Nuke or Blackmagic Fusion can
edit the background and blend the object into it. The effect has
previously seen in a lot of action movies," he said.