A quantum material tricks an infrared camera by concealing the heat properties of an object that would give it away. Source: Purdue University/Erin EasterlingA research team has devised a way to conceal humans and objects from infrared cameras using quantum material.

The researchers consisted of engineers and scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Using the quantum material samarium nickel oxide, the team discovered that it can potentially mask the heat properties given off by humans and objects and detected by infrared cameras.

This development is not new, as researchers have previously used graphene-based material and black silicon to manipulate electromagnetic radiation to conceal an object from infrared cameras. What sets samarium nickel oxide apart is that the material decouples, or separates, the temperature of an object from its corresponding thermal light radiation, enabling the temperature of the object to be concealed from infrared cameras.

In addition to cloaking humans and objects from infrared cameras, the team believes that use cases for the material could lead to the development of different kinds of optics and assets for stealth technologies. Likewise, the team envisions that the material will serve to improve upon current iterations of infrared cameras.

The research appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.