Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible (!)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=8368

April 13, 2011

Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.

The researchers found a way to make an “optical battery,” said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.

In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics.

“You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We’ve all been taught that this doesn’t happen,” said Rand, an author of a paper on the work published in the Journal of Applied Physics. “It’s a very odd interaction. That’s why it’s been overlooked for more than 100 years.”

…

“This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation,” Rand said. “In solar cells, the light goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power source.”

…

[phantom power]

1. "magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected."

Not often one gets to observe a phenomenon 8 orders of magnitude greater than expected!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. you never met my ex after I refused to

buy her more jewelry.

The phased wave front was far greater than the Fukushima Tsunami

[phantom power]

3. "And it must be focused to an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter"

"Sunlight isn’t this intense on its own"

Behold, the understatement of the week.
:rofl:

[Ikonoklast]

4. Fusion power will be achieved easier.

Of course, ten million watts per square centimeter might be approaching that threshold in itself.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. I assume we’re talking about a focus much smaller than 1 square centimeter

(i.e. we’re not talking about focusing 10,000,000 watts of sunlight using lenses.)

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. I rather liked that one myself

Hmmm… 10 Million Watts… I think I would have noticed something like that on my skin.

[Locrian]

6. flux capacitor

I heard it actually requires 1.21 gigawatts .....





(prototype)

[Gregorian]

8. Discoveries like this make one realize just how infantile we are in the grand scheme.

Could it also be used in propulsion.

Wild. I love it.

[pscot]

9. Thanks for posting this again

I thought this seemed pretty sigificant.

[SoulSearcher]

10. "Epic" post - Thank you

This is world changing - thank you very much for the post!