The team, lead by Lei Wang and Dr Sergey Kruk, has created a device capable of producing the best-quality holographic images ever seen.

Researchers at the Australian National University have developed a material which they claim will help make cameras smaller and holograms possible.

"As a child, I learned about the concept of holographic imaging from the Star Wars movies," said Wang, a student at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering.

"It`s really cool to be working on an invention that uses the principles of holography depicted in those movies."

Outside of recreating his favourite Star Wars scenes, Wang said the device could have many applications such as slimming down bulky optical equipment on space craft and satellites.

"While research in holography plays an important role in the development of futuristic displays and augmented reality devices, today we are working on many other applications such as ultra-thin and light-weight optical devices for cameras and satellites."



Holograms are three-dimensional images produced by capturing the interactions of light beams.

Co-lead researcher Dr Sergey Kruk described how the team had painstakingly built the device from millions of tiny silicon pillars.

"This new material is transparent, which means it loses minimal energy from the light, and it also does complex manipulations with light," he said.

"Our ability to structure materials at the nanoscale allows the device to achieve new optical properties that go beyond the properties of natural materials.

"The holograms that we made demonstrate the strong potential of this technology to be used in a range of applications."

/Sydney Morning Herald/

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